War Heroes: Constructing the Soldier and the State in Modern China, 1924-1945

<p>The frequency of wars in modern China between 1924 and 1945 was accompanied by the phenomenon that the soldier figure played an important ideological role in state rhetoric and social discussions. Different political, social and cultural forces, such as Jiang Jieshi (1887-1975)’s Nationalist government (1927-1949), the Whampoa Military Academy, urban intellectuals, activists, professionals, writers, students, and the Chinese Communists in the revolutionary base of Yan’an constructed the soldier figure to argue for their agendas and assert their political influence. </p><p>The multiple meanings assigned to the soldier figure by diverse forces as well as the intentions behind the meanings are the main theme uniting this dissertation. This theme serves as a useful window to explore the state-building processes in the GMD and CCP areas and the complex state-society relations that were engendered by these processes in modern China. By examining how different political, social and cultural forces resisted, collaborated with, complicated, questioned and confronted the heroic ideal of the soldier promoted by Jiang and the Nationalist government, this dissertation demonstrates that the cultural negotiations over how to create and support a strong army were central to the state-building processes in modern China, and a significant factor in determining different trajectories in state-society relations in the regions controlled by the GMD and the CCP.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

History

Grantor dc:publisher

The Ohio State University

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Xu, Yan

Contributors dc:contributor

• Reed, Christopher A.

• Asian Studies
• History
• Military History
• Modern China
• the Second Sino-Japanese War
• state building
• state-society relations
• soldier images

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1357130680

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:osu1357130680