Words Kill: Calling for the Destruction of 'Class Enemies' in China, 1949-1953

When Communist revolutionaries seized control of Mainland China in 1949, they faced enormous challenges of state and nation building. China occupied a vast territory, had a huge and poorly integrated population and suffered from a woefully backward economy. Building a Socialist Chinese state required effectively managing significant opposition to the imposition of the Communist regime. This study examines how the Chinese Communist Party employed language as an essential part of its strategy to achieving these goals.