Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-219) and index.

Understanding the Left in the People's Republic -- Against broken promises : workers claim equality and participation in the socialist 1950s and 1960s -- For a better future : worker movements demand democratic reforms in the 1970s and 1980s -- Defense and nostalgia : social struggles drive leftist resistance in the 1990s and 2000s -- Social unrest and organizing : challenges for the CCP in the capitalist 2000s and 2010s -- Social discontent and left opposition in socialism and capitalism.

"Tracing the fascinating history of left-wing, subversive and oppositional forces in China over the last 70 years, Ralf Ruckus pulls back the curtain on Chinese politics. He looks at the interconnected movements since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, drawing out the main actors, ideas and actions. Taking us through the Hundred Flowers Movement in the 1950s, the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, the democracy movements of the 1970s and 1980s and the workers' movements that accompanied these events, he draws a clear picture of the political currents of China, its ruling party, and leaders through to Xi Jinping with a spotlight on contemporary struggles. Is the country still socialist, the Chinese Communist Party a left-wing organisation, and the leadership indeed Marxist? The book will sort out the confusion, present the true history of social movements and left politics in China up to the present day"--Google Books.