New Books in Political Science Xiaobo Lü, "Domination and Mobilization: The Rise and Fall of Political Parties in China's Republican Era" (Cambridge UP, 2025)
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Oct 7, 2025 In this discussion, Xiaobo Lü, an Associate Professor at UC Berkeley and author of "Domination and Mobilization", dives into the dynamics of political parties in China. He contrasts the Chinese Communist Party's mass-centric mobilization strategies with the elite-focused approach of the Nationalist Party. Lü examines key historical shifts, the impact of the wartime period, and how leadership styles influenced party fortunes. His insights shed light on how these legacies continue to shape China's political landscape today.
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Two Modes Of Mobilization
- Elite-centric mobilization recruits political and economic elites to supply resources and networks.
- Mass-centric mobilization builds grassroots infrastructures to recruit ordinary citizens and extract local support.
Early Strategic Divergence
- The CCP began weak and depended on Comintern support while the KMT built state capacity via co-opting elites.
- KMT's elite-centric strategy neglected grassroots mobilization, creating vulnerabilities later.
Chiang's 1927 Purge Shifted KMT Strategy
- Chiang Kai-shek purged the CCP in 1927 and dismantled KMT mass mobilization departments to prevent communist influence.
- The KMT then pivoted toward financiers and urban elites, entrenching elite-centric mobilization.
