Modern Tibetan History 1957–1959

Without understanding what happened in the 1950s, particularly the many events between 1957 and 1959, readers cannot comprehend the contemporary political relationship between China and the Dalai Lama.

This book is the fourth volume in Mel Goldstein's series, "A History of Modern Tibet," offering a new interpretation of Sino-Tibetan history during those years leading up to the 1959 Tibetan uprising. The author also re-evaluates issues that have been widely misunderstood, stereotyped, and distorted in both popular discourse and academic literature (such as Mao Zedong's Tibet policy). Drawing on newly discovered critical Chinese government documents, published and unpublished memoirs, new biographies, and a large number of dedicated in-depth political interviews, this book re-examines the historical events that ultimately led to the March 10th uprising and the demise of Tibet's renowned Buddhist civilization. This richly analytical and nuanced volume offers an impartial account of the key actors and their policies during the final two crucial years of Sino-Tibetan relations under the 1951 Seventeen-Point Agreement.