Democracy and Socialism in Republican China: The Politics of Zhang Junmai, 1906-1941

This groundbreaking book is the first full-length English-language study to explore the struggles for constitutional democracy and democratic socialism of Zhang Junmai (Carsun Chang, 1887-1969), a major political and intellectual figure in Republican China. Focusing on Zhang’s writings, Roger Jeans has provided detailed descriptions and extensive translations of Zhang’s key books and essays. He sets the context for these seminal works by describing Zhang’s personal situation, the social and intellectual milieu, and the political climate at the time. Zhang’s life and work reflect three intertwined themes: the early origins of contemporary movements for democratization in China; the lost option of a more peaceful and gradualist socialist road than that advocated by Mao Zedong; and the dilemmas that faced democratic and socialist ‘third-force’ figures persecuted for opposing both the Chinese Communists and the Guomindang from the 1920s on. This study will be useful to all readers interested in the history of the concepts of constitutionalism, human rights, and democracy as they have developed in China.