Frederick W. Mote

China's Past in the Study of China Today--Some Comments on the Recent Work of Richard Solomon@@@Mao's Revolution and the Chinese Political Culture.

Richard Solomons book Maos Revolution and the Chinese Political Culture is a pioneering effort to interpret the Chinese Communist revolution and its revolutionary social policy by using the emergent methodology of “political culture.” Although it poses several valuable questions, the authors command of the traditional Chinese civilization is inadequate to inform his judgment. Information about literacy in traditional China is mis-used, and the extent and content of education is misunderstood. Various cultural features, e.g. the Chinese counterpart to the Wests Oedipal myth, are introduced but their import is erroneously explained. Family values are mistakenly interpreted in relation to the Confucian Great Tradition. The inadequacy of Solomons handling of such cultural information casts doubts on the validity of the entire book.