Famine Politics in Maoist China and the Soviet Union

Felix Wemheuer is is professor of Modern China Studies at the University of Cologne. He has published three books on twentieth-century Chinese political history and numerous journal articles.

“This manuscript is a major achievement. It compares two complex countries in great detail. The author analyzes in detail the strategies, tactics, and failures of the two ‘Great Leaps.’”—Thomas P. Bernstein, Columbia University“The author provides the first comprehensive and systematic analysis of the impact of the two great famines created by the socialist states of the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China. . . . This is by far the most authoritative comparative study of the two greatest famines of the twentieth century.”—Peter C. Perdue, author of Exhausting the Earth and China Marches West“Wemheuer’s book is a major contribution to our understanding of China’s Great Leap Famine, and a stimulating example of what comparative research on famines under state socialism can offer.”—Kate Edgerton-Tarpley, San Diego State University“This is an important, brave, and timely book. His case for different ways of assessing these man-made famines may be controversial. But it is built on plausible evidence and on cogent analysis, and defiantly demands attention.”—Cormac Ó Gráda, author of Famine: A Short History“In this bold and innovative study of famine and ‘food politics’, Wemheuer is intellectually fearless, tackling big questions and bringing a welcome spirit of scholarly dispassion to current debates, while never losing sight of the awfulness of his subject.”—Steve Smith, All Souls College, Oxford