Wang Yanan

3.4545 learners

This book delivers a groundbreaking exploration of bureaucratic politics—an often-overlooked system compared to aristocratic, autocratic, and democratic governance. Drawing on sharp comparisons with European, American, and fascist bureaucratic models, it unpacks China’s unique 2,000-year history of bureaucratic rule, from its Qin Dynasty origins to its modern transformation after the Opium War. Unlike Western bureaucracies that served as transitional phases between feudalism and capitalism, China’s bureaucracy was deeply intertwined with feudal landlord economies, Confucian doctrine, and centralized autocracy, boasting three defining traits: unbroken continuity, cultural inclusivity, and pervasive social control. It examines how this system stifled social progress, fueled cycles of corruption, and perpetuated peasant exploitation, while tracing its evolution into 20th-century bureaucratic capitalism. Ultimately, it argues that China’s bureaucratic politics can only be eradicated by uprooting its feudal economic foundations and empowering grassroots movements, offering a critical lens to understand China’s past and present.