The Problem of China

The problem of china, originally published in 1922, is bertrand russell's analysis of china's place in the world and its place in the future development of society. it was evident that china would become a major force in international affairs, according to russell, because the population of the country makes up a major portion of the population of the world. in studying the "problem" of china, russell breaks his inquiry down into cultural, economic, and political questions. he believes that china, a country whose "virtues are chiefly useful to others and vices chiefly harm to [itself]," would come to a cultural crossroads, and that the choices the country made would affect the economic and political make up of the entire world. russell's insights of nearly a century ago are still relevant to readers today who wish to understand the chinese mind and develop an appreciation for how china came to its place in the world today. british philosopher and mathematician bertrand arthur william russell (1872-1970) won the nobel prize for literature in 1950. among his many works are why i am not a christian (1927), power: a new social analysis (1938), and my philosophical development (1959).from the back coverthis study of the history of china, its social forces and tendencies and the character of its people, was originally published in 1922, following the author's return from a year as professor of philosophy at the university of beijing. although much has happened in the years that have intervened, the book still has great value and interest for all who are concerned to understand china and her future amongst the major nations of the world. it contains much interesting historical analysis which is very relevant today, and some extraordinarily far-sighted observations. for this reason a reprint has been felt desirable and it has been left unchanged. if in part it may reveal a record of dead hopes and dead fears, those parts which are not topical are still true; and, having regard to china's rapid growth in industrial and international power, those permanent elements of the book cannot be neglected either by the student of international affairs or by the general reader.