Mr. Smith Goes to China

Mr. Smith Goes to China

Author: Jessica Hanser

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2019-07-23

Total Pages: 299

ISBN-13: 0300245076

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An account of eighteenth-century global commerce as seen through the lives of three Scottish traders, “written with verve and filled with arresting details” (Tonio Andrade, author of The Gunpowder Age). This book delves into the lives of three Scottish private traders—George Smith of Bombay, George Smith of Canton, and George Smith of Madras—and uses them as lenses through which to explore the inner workings of Britain’s imperial expansion and global network of trade, revealing how an unstable credit system and a financial crisis ultimately led to greater British intervention in India and China. “This book is a history of British seafaring and imperialism, written largely from a micro-level perspective, placing the focus on individual traders rather than the East India Company as a whole. But it is not only an imperial history. It also unravels the interwoven financial, political and social relations between Britain, China and India in the eighteenth century . . . Hanser has consulted an impressively wide range of archival sources in different languages and located in various countries, from private letters to periodicals, and from official Chinese documents to East India Company reports. Her work contributes to our understanding of 18th-century British imperial history.” —Reviews in History


Book Synopsis Mr. Smith Goes to China by : Jessica Hanser

Download or read book Mr. Smith Goes to China written by Jessica Hanser and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2019-07-23 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An account of eighteenth-century global commerce as seen through the lives of three Scottish traders, “written with verve and filled with arresting details” (Tonio Andrade, author of The Gunpowder Age). This book delves into the lives of three Scottish private traders—George Smith of Bombay, George Smith of Canton, and George Smith of Madras—and uses them as lenses through which to explore the inner workings of Britain’s imperial expansion and global network of trade, revealing how an unstable credit system and a financial crisis ultimately led to greater British intervention in India and China. “This book is a history of British seafaring and imperialism, written largely from a micro-level perspective, placing the focus on individual traders rather than the East India Company as a whole. But it is not only an imperial history. It also unravels the interwoven financial, political and social relations between Britain, China and India in the eighteenth century . . . Hanser has consulted an impressively wide range of archival sources in different languages and located in various countries, from private letters to periodicals, and from official Chinese documents to East India Company reports. Her work contributes to our understanding of 18th-century British imperial history.” —Reviews in History


Mr. Smith Goes to China

Mr. Smith Goes to China

Author: Jessica Hanser

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2019-07-23

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0300236085

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An illuminating account of global commerce in the eighteenth-century Indian Ocean world as seen through the lives of three Scottish traders This book delves into the lives of three Scottish private traders--George Smith of Bombay, George Smith of Canton, and George Smith of Madras--and uses them as lenses through which to explore the inner workings of Britain's imperial expansion and global network of trade, revealing how an unstable credit system and a financial crisis ultimately led to greater British intervention in India and China.


Book Synopsis Mr. Smith Goes to China by : Jessica Hanser

Download or read book Mr. Smith Goes to China written by Jessica Hanser and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2019-07-23 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An illuminating account of global commerce in the eighteenth-century Indian Ocean world as seen through the lives of three Scottish traders This book delves into the lives of three Scottish private traders--George Smith of Bombay, George Smith of Canton, and George Smith of Madras--and uses them as lenses through which to explore the inner workings of Britain's imperial expansion and global network of trade, revealing how an unstable credit system and a financial crisis ultimately led to greater British intervention in India and China.


Mr. Smith Goes to China

Mr. Smith Goes to China

Author: Jessica Hanser

Publisher:

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Mr. Smith Goes to China by : Jessica Hanser

Download or read book Mr. Smith Goes to China written by Jessica Hanser and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


China Goes Global

China Goes Global

Author: David Shambaugh

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2013-01-18

Total Pages: 428

ISBN-13: 0199860157

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Most global citizens are well aware of the explosive growth of the Chinese economy. Indeed, China has famously become the "workshop of the world." Yet, while China watchers have shed much light on the country's internal dynamics--China's politics, its vast social changes, and its economic development--few have focused on how this increasingly powerful nation has become more active and assertive throughout the world. In China Goes Global, eminent China scholar David Shambaugh delivers the book that many have been waiting for--a sweeping account of China's growing prominence on the international stage. Thirty years ago, China's role in global affairs beyond its immediate East Asian periphery was decidedly minor and it had little geostrategic power. Today however, China's expanding economic power has allowed it to extend its reach virtually everywhere--from mineral mines in Africa, to currency markets in the West, to oilfields in the Middle East, to agribusiness in Latin America, to the factories of East Asia. Shambaugh offers an enlightening look into the manifestations of China's global presence: its extensive commercial footprint, its growing military power, its increasing cultural influence or "soft power," its diplomatic activity, and its new prominence in global governance institutions. But Shambaugh is no alarmist. In this balanced and well-researched volume, he argues that China's global presence is more broad than deep and that China still lacks the influence befitting a major world power--what he terms a "partial power." He draws on his decades of China-watching and his deep knowledge of the subject, and exploits a wide variety of previously untapped sources, to shed valuable light on China's current and future roles in world affairs.


Book Synopsis China Goes Global by : David Shambaugh

Download or read book China Goes Global written by David Shambaugh and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-01-18 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most global citizens are well aware of the explosive growth of the Chinese economy. Indeed, China has famously become the "workshop of the world." Yet, while China watchers have shed much light on the country's internal dynamics--China's politics, its vast social changes, and its economic development--few have focused on how this increasingly powerful nation has become more active and assertive throughout the world. In China Goes Global, eminent China scholar David Shambaugh delivers the book that many have been waiting for--a sweeping account of China's growing prominence on the international stage. Thirty years ago, China's role in global affairs beyond its immediate East Asian periphery was decidedly minor and it had little geostrategic power. Today however, China's expanding economic power has allowed it to extend its reach virtually everywhere--from mineral mines in Africa, to currency markets in the West, to oilfields in the Middle East, to agribusiness in Latin America, to the factories of East Asia. Shambaugh offers an enlightening look into the manifestations of China's global presence: its extensive commercial footprint, its growing military power, its increasing cultural influence or "soft power," its diplomatic activity, and its new prominence in global governance institutions. But Shambaugh is no alarmist. In this balanced and well-researched volume, he argues that China's global presence is more broad than deep and that China still lacks the influence befitting a major world power--what he terms a "partial power." He draws on his decades of China-watching and his deep knowledge of the subject, and exploits a wide variety of previously untapped sources, to shed valuable light on China's current and future roles in world affairs.


Adam Smith in Beijing

Adam Smith in Beijing

Author: Giovanni Arrighi

Publisher: Verso Books

Published: 2020-05-05

Total Pages: 586

ISBN-13: 1789604273

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In the late eighteenth century, the political economist Adam Smith predicted an eventual equalization of power between the West and the territories it had conquered. In this magisterial new work, Giovanni Arrighi shows how China's extraordinary rise invites us to reassess radically the conventional reading of The Wealth of Nations. He examines how recent US attempts to create the first truly global empire were conceived to counter China's spectacular economic success Now America's disastrous failure in Iraq has made the People's Republic of China the true winner in the US War on Terror. China may soon become again the kind of noncapitalist market economy that Smith described, an event that will reconfigure world trade and the global balance of power.


Book Synopsis Adam Smith in Beijing by : Giovanni Arrighi

Download or read book Adam Smith in Beijing written by Giovanni Arrighi and published by Verso Books. This book was released on 2020-05-05 with total page 586 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the late eighteenth century, the political economist Adam Smith predicted an eventual equalization of power between the West and the territories it had conquered. In this magisterial new work, Giovanni Arrighi shows how China's extraordinary rise invites us to reassess radically the conventional reading of The Wealth of Nations. He examines how recent US attempts to create the first truly global empire were conceived to counter China's spectacular economic success Now America's disastrous failure in Iraq has made the People's Republic of China the true winner in the US War on Terror. China may soon become again the kind of noncapitalist market economy that Smith described, an event that will reconfigure world trade and the global balance of power.


The China Mission: George Marshall's Unfinished War, 1945-1947

The China Mission: George Marshall's Unfinished War, 1945-1947

Author: Daniel Kurtz-Phelan

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2018-04-10

Total Pages: 496

ISBN-13: 0393243087

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An Economist Best Book of 2018 A spellbinding narrative of the high-stakes mission that changed the course of America, China, and global politics—and a rich portrait of the towering, complex figure who carried it out. As World War II came to an end, General George Marshall was renowned as the architect of Allied victory. Set to retire, he instead accepted what he thought was a final mission—this time not to win a war, but to stop one. Across the Pacific, conflict between Chinese Nationalists and Communists threatened to suck in the United States and escalate into revolution. His assignment was to broker a peace, build a Chinese democracy, and prevent a Communist takeover, all while staving off World War III. In his thirteen months in China, Marshall journeyed across battle-scarred landscapes, grappled with Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, and plotted and argued with Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and his brilliant wife, often over card games or cocktails. The results at first seemed miraculous. But as they started to come apart, Marshall was faced with a wrenching choice. Its consequences would define the rest of his career, as the secretary of state who launched the Marshall Plan and set the standard for American leadership, and the shape of the Cold War and the US-China relationship for decades to come. It would also help spark one of the darkest turns in American civic life, as Marshall and the mission became a first prominent target of McCarthyism, and the question of “who lost China” roiled American politics. The China Mission traces this neglected turning point and forgotten interlude in a heroic career—a story of not just diplomatic wrangling and guerrilla warfare, but also intricate spycraft and charismatic personalities. Drawing on eyewitness accounts both personal and official, it offers a richly detailed, gripping, close-up, and often surprising view of the central figures of the time—from Marshall, Mao, and Chiang to Eisenhower, Truman, and MacArthur—as they stood face-to-face and struggled to make history, with consequences and lessons that echo today.


Book Synopsis The China Mission: George Marshall's Unfinished War, 1945-1947 by : Daniel Kurtz-Phelan

Download or read book The China Mission: George Marshall's Unfinished War, 1945-1947 written by Daniel Kurtz-Phelan and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2018-04-10 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An Economist Best Book of 2018 A spellbinding narrative of the high-stakes mission that changed the course of America, China, and global politics—and a rich portrait of the towering, complex figure who carried it out. As World War II came to an end, General George Marshall was renowned as the architect of Allied victory. Set to retire, he instead accepted what he thought was a final mission—this time not to win a war, but to stop one. Across the Pacific, conflict between Chinese Nationalists and Communists threatened to suck in the United States and escalate into revolution. His assignment was to broker a peace, build a Chinese democracy, and prevent a Communist takeover, all while staving off World War III. In his thirteen months in China, Marshall journeyed across battle-scarred landscapes, grappled with Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, and plotted and argued with Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and his brilliant wife, often over card games or cocktails. The results at first seemed miraculous. But as they started to come apart, Marshall was faced with a wrenching choice. Its consequences would define the rest of his career, as the secretary of state who launched the Marshall Plan and set the standard for American leadership, and the shape of the Cold War and the US-China relationship for decades to come. It would also help spark one of the darkest turns in American civic life, as Marshall and the mission became a first prominent target of McCarthyism, and the question of “who lost China” roiled American politics. The China Mission traces this neglected turning point and forgotten interlude in a heroic career—a story of not just diplomatic wrangling and guerrilla warfare, but also intricate spycraft and charismatic personalities. Drawing on eyewitness accounts both personal and official, it offers a richly detailed, gripping, close-up, and often surprising view of the central figures of the time—from Marshall, Mao, and Chiang to Eisenhower, Truman, and MacArthur—as they stood face-to-face and struggled to make history, with consequences and lessons that echo today.


The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What It Means for All of Us

The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What It Means for All of Us

Author: Robyn Meredith

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2008-05-27

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 0393331938

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Meredith offers a compelling look at the major changes in store as America faces increasing competition from India and China--two emerging economic giants.


Book Synopsis The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What It Means for All of Us by : Robyn Meredith

Download or read book The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What It Means for All of Us written by Robyn Meredith and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2008-05-27 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Meredith offers a compelling look at the major changes in store as America faces increasing competition from India and China--two emerging economic giants.


China's Influence and American Interests

China's Influence and American Interests

Author: Larry Diamond

Publisher: Hoover Press

Published: 2019-08-01

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 0817922865

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While Americans are generally aware of China's ambitions as a global economic and military superpower, few understand just how deeply and assertively that country has already sought to influence American society. As the authors of this volume write, it is time for a wake-up call. In documenting the extent of Beijing's expanding influence operations inside the United States, they aim to raise awareness of China's efforts to penetrate and sway a range of American institutions: state and local governments, academic institutions, think tanks, media, and businesses. And they highlight other aspects of the propagandistic “discourse war” waged by the Chinese government and Communist Party leaders that are less expected and more alarming, such as their view of Chinese Americans as members of a worldwide Chinese diaspora that owes undefined allegiance to the so-called Motherland.Featuring ideas and policy proposals from leading China specialists, China's Influence and American Interests argues that a successful future relationship requires a rebalancing toward greater transparency, reciprocity, and fairness. Throughout, the authors also strongly state the importance of avoiding casting aspersions on Chinese and on Chinese Americans, who constitute a vital portion of American society. But if the United States is to fare well in this increasingly adversarial relationship with China, Americans must have a far better sense of that country's ambitions and methods than they do now.


Book Synopsis China's Influence and American Interests by : Larry Diamond

Download or read book China's Influence and American Interests written by Larry Diamond and published by Hoover Press. This book was released on 2019-08-01 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While Americans are generally aware of China's ambitions as a global economic and military superpower, few understand just how deeply and assertively that country has already sought to influence American society. As the authors of this volume write, it is time for a wake-up call. In documenting the extent of Beijing's expanding influence operations inside the United States, they aim to raise awareness of China's efforts to penetrate and sway a range of American institutions: state and local governments, academic institutions, think tanks, media, and businesses. And they highlight other aspects of the propagandistic “discourse war” waged by the Chinese government and Communist Party leaders that are less expected and more alarming, such as their view of Chinese Americans as members of a worldwide Chinese diaspora that owes undefined allegiance to the so-called Motherland.Featuring ideas and policy proposals from leading China specialists, China's Influence and American Interests argues that a successful future relationship requires a rebalancing toward greater transparency, reciprocity, and fairness. Throughout, the authors also strongly state the importance of avoiding casting aspersions on Chinese and on Chinese Americans, who constitute a vital portion of American society. But if the United States is to fare well in this increasingly adversarial relationship with China, Americans must have a far better sense of that country's ambitions and methods than they do now.


Merchants and Profit in the Age of Commerce, 1680–1830

Merchants and Profit in the Age of Commerce, 1680–1830

Author: Dominique Margairaz

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-10-06

Total Pages: 245

ISBN-13: 1317317955

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Merchant activity across Europe, America and China during the long eighteenth century is explored in this collection of essays. Using a unique data set from accounts and correspondence, contributors are able to show the fragmented nature of merchant activity and the importance of trust-based social and cultural networks.


Book Synopsis Merchants and Profit in the Age of Commerce, 1680–1830 by : Dominique Margairaz

Download or read book Merchants and Profit in the Age of Commerce, 1680–1830 written by Dominique Margairaz and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-10-06 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Merchant activity across Europe, America and China during the long eighteenth century is explored in this collection of essays. Using a unique data set from accounts and correspondence, contributors are able to show the fragmented nature of merchant activity and the importance of trust-based social and cultural networks.


China Airborne

China Airborne

Author: James Fallows

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2013-02-26

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 1400031273

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From one of our most influential journalists, here is a timely, vital, and illuminating account of the next stage of China’s modernization—its plan to rival America as the world’s leading aerospace power and to bring itself from its low-wage past to a high-tech future. In 2011, China announced its twelfth Five-Year Plan, which included the commitment to spend a quarter of a trillion dollars to jump-start its aerospace industry. In China Airborne, James Fallows documents, for the first time, the extraordinary scale of China’s project, making clear how it stands to catalyze the nation’s hyper-growth and hyper-urbanization, revolutionizing China in ways analogous to the building of America’s transcontinental railroad in the nineteenth century. Completing this remarkable picture, Fallows chronicles life in the city of Xi’an, home to 250,000 aerospace engineers and assembly-line workers, and introduces us to some of the hucksters, visionaries, entrepreneurs, and dreamers who seek to benefit from China’s pursuit of aeronautical supremacy. He concludes by explaining what this latest demonstration of Chinese ambition means for the United States and for the rest of the world—and the right ways for us to respond.


Book Synopsis China Airborne by : James Fallows

Download or read book China Airborne written by James Fallows and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2013-02-26 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From one of our most influential journalists, here is a timely, vital, and illuminating account of the next stage of China’s modernization—its plan to rival America as the world’s leading aerospace power and to bring itself from its low-wage past to a high-tech future. In 2011, China announced its twelfth Five-Year Plan, which included the commitment to spend a quarter of a trillion dollars to jump-start its aerospace industry. In China Airborne, James Fallows documents, for the first time, the extraordinary scale of China’s project, making clear how it stands to catalyze the nation’s hyper-growth and hyper-urbanization, revolutionizing China in ways analogous to the building of America’s transcontinental railroad in the nineteenth century. Completing this remarkable picture, Fallows chronicles life in the city of Xi’an, home to 250,000 aerospace engineers and assembly-line workers, and introduces us to some of the hucksters, visionaries, entrepreneurs, and dreamers who seek to benefit from China’s pursuit of aeronautical supremacy. He concludes by explaining what this latest demonstration of Chinese ambition means for the United States and for the rest of the world—and the right ways for us to respond.