ABSTRACT

This introduction provides an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book outlines the main themes and major points of discussion to orient the user. It includes works which provide broad interpretations and explanations on the origin and meaning of the Cultural Revolution. Many students and researchers of contemporary China, especially those interested in the period of the Cultural Revolution, have often found it inconvenient, if not difficult at times, to locate and identify literature on the period. This annotated bibliography is an effort to correct this situation. The book covers material on Chinese Communist Party and the ideological purity of the cadres, the reshuffling of the Central Committee and the Politburo, the routinization of the party apparatus, purges of top leaders, and the rehabilitation of veteran cadres. It explains the Red Guards and the effects of the Cultural Revolution on China's youth.