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ID: 168213

General Zuo’s counter-insurgency doctrine / Swope, Kenneth M

Swope, Kenneth M	Journal Article
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Summary/Abstract

This paper examines the career of one of the most notable of Chinese state officials in the mid-nineteenth century, General Zuo Zongtang (1812–1885) at a time when the Qing Empire was beset by enemies on all sides along with the massive Taiping Rebellion (1851–65). The paper explores how Zuo created a coherent and flexible counter-insurgency doctrine that underpinned his suppression of the Taipings, the Nian, Muslim rebels of the northwest and the defeat of a massive Sufi revolt in Central Asia. The paper also shows how Zuo helped convince the Russians to return territory they occupied in Central Asia, thereby preserving the territorial integrity of the Qing Empire in the region.

Key Words

Military Modernization ; Counter-Insurgency ; Taiping Rebellion ; Zuo Zongtang ; Muslim Revolts ; Self-Strengthening ;
Nian Rebellion

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ID: 140928

Manifesting awe: grand strategy and imperial leadership in the ming dynasty / Swope, Kenneth M

Swope, Kenneth M	Article
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This article examines recent theories concerning Chinese grand strategy and strategic culture in reference to China’s Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) and evaluates their applicability in light of the actual policy choices and military activities pursued by Ming emperors and the types of military challenges they faced. It examines the entire scope of the dynasty to discern broad patterns and points of comparison while also highlighting the crucial importance of individual imperial agency in a despotic political system. It concludes that the Ming rulers did have a very straightforward overarching grand strategy, succinctly rendered as “manifesting awe,” and that this was in line not only with Chinese dynastic precedents, but quite similar to strategies deployed by contemporary monarchies around the globe.

Key Words

Grand Strategy ; Ming Dynasty ; Manifesting Awe ; Imperial Leadership

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