Treading softly : U.S. Marines in China, 1819-1949 / George B. Clark.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Clark, George B., 1926-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

China--History, Military--19th century.

China.

China--History, Military.

United States. Marine Corps--China--History.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (240 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

From the mid-19th century to the early Cold War, the United States has a long history with China, and that interaction has not always been positive or productive. This brief history of foreign intervention in China, viewed through the experiences of the United States Marines, examines how the occupying powers dealt with a fellow sovereign nation. In many cases this involved the partition or outright absorption of Chinese territory through naked aggression. Clark contends that, considering the past two centuries, the Chinese have good reason to distrust all foreigners, and he urges the pursuit of a badly needed rapprochement. This is, however, also the story of the evolution of the Marine Corps as a separate service. Although an occupying force, the Marines did make considerable efforts to earn the friendship of the Chinese people. Always on the brink of extinction due to budgetary cuts and the enmity of the army and navy, the Marines managed to perform an onerous and difficult duty in a foreign land. With a resurgent China constantly testing the United States, a fellow Pacific Rim nation, every policymaker should be well aware of the often difficult history that we share and the mistakes that have been made in the past.

Contents:

Intro

Maps

Preface

Introduction

1 The Beginnings, 1819-1899

2 The Boxer Rebellion

3 Early Twentieth Century, 1905-1929

4 The China Marines, 1930-1941

5 Back to China, 1945-1949

Conclusion

Appendix A: Boxer Rebellion

Appendix B: Boxer Rebellion, Reports

Appendix C: Third Brigade

Appendix D: Billets of the Second Brigade (1937)

Appendix E: A Brief Chronological History of the Peking Guard (1905-1934)

Bibliography

Index

Photo essay follows p. 82.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [187]-193) and index.

ISBN:

9780313073823

0313073821

OCLC:

70767640