Xiaobo Lu | Domination and Mobilization: The Rise and Fall of Political Parties in China’s Republican Era

Examining the miraculous rise of the Chinese Communist Party
(CCP) and the surprising downfall of the Kuomintang (KMT) in the early
twentieth century, I reveal that domination and mobilization are key for
authoritarian parties to seize state power, challenging the prevailing
wisdom on power-sharing and emphasizing the importance of dominant party
leaders for organizational strength and resource mobilization. I argue
that the CCP’s mass mobilization infrastructure, initially seen as a
disadvantage before the Sino-Japanese War, became a powerful asset
during the war and led to its victory. The KMT’s elite mobilization
infrastructure, conversely, was decimated by the war, and its lack of a
strong leader prevented a successful shift in party-building strategy.
Party building subsequently played a pivotal role in shaping the
successes and failures of resource mobilization for both parties. The
book sheds new light on the origins of the CCP and the inner workings of
revolutionary parties, making in a landmark study in Chinese politics.

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