Summary of Frank Dikötter's The Tragedy of Liberation

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 In 1948, the communists laid siege to Changchun, a city in the middle of the Manchurian plain north of the Great Wall of China. They starved the city into surrender, and turned it into a city of death.

#2 The city of Changchun, China, was besieged by communist troops in 1948. The anti-aircraft artillery of the communists forced the nationalists to fly at an altitude of 3,000 meters. The airdrops landed outside the area controlled by the nationalists.

#3 The situation inside the city was little better than outside it. Besides the airdrops for the garrison, some 330 tonnes of grain were required daily to feed the civilians, but at best 84 tonnes were delivered by four or five planes. Everything was requisitioned in the defense of Changchun.

#4 The fall of Changchun was hailed in China’s history books as a decisive victory in the battle of Manchuria, but it came at a huge cost, as an estimated 160,000 civilians were starved to death inside the area besieged by the communists.

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Rafbók: 21 maj 2022