This book uses the metaphor of “awakening China” to demonstrate how it moved from the almost feudal Qing dynasty to mobilize the Chinese people into a nation-state. Fitzgerald’s focus is on revolutionaries who helped shape Chinese nationalism. He focuses on leading theorists, including Kang Youwei, Sun Yatsen, and Mao Zedong, as well as writers of fiction, who wrote heroic novels and poetry.
The nationalist movement was not a simple progression, but was filled with fits and starts. The initial reforms suggested by Kang were crushed and the 1911 revolution led by Sun’s Revolutionary Alliance collapsed into a network of warlords. With the establishment of the Kuomintang (KMT) in 1912, Sun embarked on yet another nationalist enterprise that would have more success. In the light of the twenty-first century, Sun may not seem terribly revolutionary, especially when compared to the radical Kang a generation earlier. In the 1910’s, however, Sun’s ideas of democracy, nationalism and social welfare represented an enormous break with tradition. Yet Sun did not make this break on his own. Fitzgerald suggests that Sun’s ideas were a result of an increased intellectual dialogue in China on politics and society. Near the end of his life, Sun shifted his ideas to suit the changing times and included a call for a strong party-state to ensure national unity and strength. Although he meant the KMT, this would eventually be the model taken by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) when they established the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949.

The party-state was made possible by an enormous propaganda machine that utilized cultural icons to energize the support of the people. This could be an awakening dragon or a lion defending its cubs. The party’s propaganda also included novelists and poets, some sponsored by the party and other who recognized market trends. Fitzgerald argues that this mobilizing effort turned the population’s resentment against imperialism into modern nationalism.

Fitzgerald’s work is somewhat scattered. He makes a very strong case for the interplay between intellectuals and the political leadership. He also clearly demonstrates how propaganda efforts were pointed to recovering national dignity. However, there are some areas where he seems to gloss over subjects that don’t necessarily support his argument. He barely discusses Confucianism, which is a problem since it represents the traditions that supposedly kept China asleep. Also, he makes Soviet involvement with the KMT and Sun seem of only minor importance, whereas conventional wisdom is that Sun adopted large portions of the Soviet propaganda system. Neither of these are serious problems, but do raise questions if there are any other less obvious omissions. In general, however, Fitzgerald’s work is an excellent contribution to understanding the nationalist thought and propaganda. ( )