Empires at War

It is a fine single source reference for a general Modern Asia history course for undergraduates or perhaps Advance Placement Course in high school.

Préface
A masterful account and thorough survey of the modern history of Asia from the end of WWII to the present day.

Auteur
Francis Pike is a historian, journalist and specialist in Asian economics, politics and history. He is the author of Empires at War: A Short History of Modern Asia Since World War II (2009).

Texte du rabat

From the author of Hirohito's War comes the second edition of his magisterial modern history of Asia, Empires at War. With 13 new and 2 updated chapters, Francis Pike brings the reader up to 2020, covering what has arguably been the most important decade yet for Modern Asia and its role on the global stage. Asia - with over four and a half billion people, a huge landmass and the fastest-growing economies - has transformed the geopolitical global balance. Taking the bombing of Hiroshima on 6th August 1945 as its starting point, Francis Pike chronicles the modern fortunes of 17 Asian and 3 western countries. The iconic figures of post-World War II Asia; Mao, Gandhi, Nehru, Ho Chi Minh, Kim Il Sung, General MacArthur and Lord Mountbatten, and modern leaders such as Trump, Kim-Jong-Un and Xi Jinping feature prominently, as do a number of lesser-known but pivotal figures. Francis Pike weaves the dramatic events and episodes of the region over the last 75 years into a coherent whole, which forms the essential guide to the history of modern Asia. A reader can dip in for an overview of a specific country, or read through for a comprehensive and broad understanding of Asia in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Résumé
From the author of Hirohito's War comes the second edition of his magisterial modern history of Asia, Empires at War. With 13 new and 2 updated chapters, Francis Pike brings the reader up to 2020, covering what has arguably been the most important decade yet for Modern Asia and its role on the global stage. Asia - with over four and a half billion people, a huge landmass and the fastest-growing economies has transformed the geopolitical global balance. Taking the bombing of Hiroshima on 6th August 1945 as its starting point, Francis Pike chronicles the modern fortunes of 17 Asian and 3 western countries. The iconic figures of post-World War II Asia; Mao, Gandhi, Nehru, Ho Chi Minh, Kim Il Sung, General MacArthur and Lord Mountbatten, and modern leaders such as Trump, Kim-Jong-Un and Xi Jinping feature prominently, as do a number of lesser-known but pivotal figures. Francis Pike weaves the dramatic events and episodes of the region over the last 75 years into a coherent whole, which forms the essential guide to the history of modern Asia. A reader can dip in for an overview of a specific country, or read through for a comprehensive and broad understanding of Asia in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Contenu
Introduction and Background PART I: AMERICAN EMPIRE AND ITS COMPETITORS 1621-1945 1. American Empire and Its Competitors PART II - ASIA'S POST WAR SETTLEMENT 2. Potsdam, Hiroshima and the Bomb: Japan 1945 3. Mao and the Chinese Revolution: China 1945 - 1954 4. Emperor Hirohito and the Tokyo War Crimes Trial: Japan 1945 -1948 5. Mahatma Gandhi: Passive Aggression: India 1945 -1947 6. 'An iron curtain has descended': America-Soviet Union 1945-1961 7. Stalin, Mao and Truman: Post-War Alliances: North East Asia 1945 - 1950 8. Chiang Kai Shek and the Flight to Taiwan: Taiwan 1945 - 1949 9. MacArthur, Yoshida, and the American Occupation of Japan: Japan 1945-1954 10. Hô Chí Minh and the Battle of Diên Biên Phu: Vietnam 1945-1954 11. General Phibun: National Socialist Dictator: Thailand 1945-1958 12. From Independence to Dependency: Philippines 1945-1960 13. Lord Mountbatten and the Partition: India-Pakistan 1945-1947 14. Origins of the Korean War: Korea 1945-1950 15. Aung Sang: Revolutionary and Turncoat: Burma 1945-1949 16. Sukarno: The Founding Father: Indonesia 1945-1950 17. Independence and the Racial Contract: Malaysia 1945-1957 18. Lee Kuan Yew: Pocket Giant: Singapore 1945-1964 19. Capitalist Redoubt: Hong Kong 1945-1997 PART III - COLD WAR IN THE BALANCE 20. The Korean War: Korea 1950-1953 21. The Great Leap Forward: China 1949-1961 22. Dictatorship and Prosperity: Taiwan 1947-1975 23. Nehru: The Fashioning of a Legend: India 1945-65 24. Jinnah and Pakistan's Failed Constitution: Pakistan 1945-65 25. Fall of Rhee and Park's 'Economic Miracle': South Korea 1954-79 26. Kim Il Sung: The 'Great Leader': North Korea 1950-80 27. The Todai Oligarchs: Japan 1955-92 28. The Cultural Revolution: China 1961-70 29. Indira Gandhi: A Study in Nepotism: India 1966-84 30. Kennedy: Vietnam and the Vienna Summit: America-Vietnam 1954-63 31. 'The Year of Living Dangerously': Indonesia 1950-68 32. LBJ and the Vietnam Quagmire: Vietnam 1963-9 33. The Trouble with Tigers: Sri Lanka 1945-94 34. Nixon in China: America-China 1969-71 35. The Night of the Intellectuals: Bangladesh-Pakistan 1965-73 36. Tet Offensive: Lost Victories: America-Vietnam 1968-75 37. The Bombing of Cambodia: Cambodia 1969-73 38. Revolution's End: The Deaths of Mao, Zhou Enlai and Lin Biao China: 1970-6 39. The Murder of Aquino: The Disgrace of Ferdinand Marcos: Philippines 1960-86 40. Coups d'Etat: A Way of Life: Thailand 1958-91 41. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and General Mohammed Zia ul-Haq: Pakistan 1973-88 42. Pol Pot: Deconstructionism and Genocide: Cambodia 1973-79 PART IV- COMMUNISM IN RETREAT 43. The Gang of Four: China 1976-9 44. The End of the Tyrants: Korea 1979-2001 45. Dr Mahathir: The Acerbic Autocrat: Malaysia 1981-2003 46. Suharto: Rule of the Kleptocrats: Indonesia 1965-2003 47. Rogue State: North Korea 1980-2005 48. Bloodlust and Revenge: Bangladesh 1971-96 49. Cory Aquino and the Rocky Path to Democracy: Philippines 1986-2000 50. Deng Xiaoping: 'Captialist Roader No.2': China 1974-96 51. The Narcotic State: Burma 1948-2005 53. Rajiv Ghandi: The Reluctant Pilot: India 1984-9 54. The Tiananmen Square Massacre: China 1987-9 55. The Property Crash and the Lost Decade: Japan 1990-2000 56. Narasimha Rao and the Quiet Revolution: India 1990-2003 57. The Savaging of the Tiger Economies: Asia 1996-8 58. A Bungled Surrender: Hong Kong 1980-97 59. One China or Two?: Taiwan 1947-2005 60. Nukes and Mullahs: Pakistan 1973-2005 PART V- CHINA'S CHALLENGE TO AMERCIA'S ASIAN HEGEMONY 61. Russia and Asia in the post-Soviet World: Russia 1990-2020 62. Xi Jinping and the March to Global Power: China 2003-2016 63. Narendra Modi: The Modernising Nationalist: India 2003-2020 64. The Rise and fall of Aung San Suu Kyi: Burma 2005-2020 65. The Unexpected Return of Dr. Mahathir: Malaysia 2003-2020 66. Doi Moi: The Rise of a New Tiger Economy: Vietnam 1975-2020 67. Shinzo Abe and the Ultranationalist Revival: Japan 2000-2020 68. Imran Khan and the fall of the Kleptocrats: Pakistan 2005-2020 69. Coming of Age of an Anglo-Saxon Powerhouse in Asia: Australia 1945-2020 70. Populists dethroned at the end of King Bhumibol's Reign: Thailand 1992-2020 71. President Duterte and Obama's loss of the South China Sea: Philippines 2000-2020 72. Kim-Jong-Un Enters the World Stage: North Korea 2002-2020 73. Trump Ends China's Free Ride on Global Trade: China- United States 2016-2020 PART VI: THE END OF AMERICA'S ASIAN EMPIRE? 74. Asia Redux: Asia 1990-2020 75. From Cold War's End to the Rise of China as the New World Power