The Missionary Mind and American East Asia Policy, 1911-1915 Contributor(s): Reed, James (Author), Fairbank, John King (Foreword by) |
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ISBN: 0674576578 ISBN-13: 9780674576575 Publisher: Harvard University Press OUR PRICE: $31.19 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: June 1983 Annotation: Considered historically, American East Asia policy may be distinguished by its lack of clear-sightedness. For much of the period the United States has pursued independent national policies toward East Asia--from the Open Door episode through the Vietnam War era--the lack of clear-sightedness has shaped the course of events. The absence of clear-sightedness, the inability to see situations for what they were and to deal with them accordingly, resulted in policies whose wisdom is much disputed. - from the Introduction. |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Political Science | International Relations - General |
Dewey: 327.730 |
LCCN: 00000000 |
Series: Harvard East Asian Monographs |
Physical Information: 1.11" H x 6.3" W x 9.24" (1.23 lbs) 384 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: At a telling moment in the development of American East Asia policy, the dream of a Christian China, made vivid by the utterances of returned missionaries, fired the imagination of the general public, influenced opinion leaders and policymakers, and furthered the Open Door doctrine. Missionary-inspired enthusiasm for China ran parallel to the different attitude of the American business community, which viewed Japan as the more appropriate focus of American interest in East Asia. During the five years here examined, the religious mentality proved stronger than the commercial mentality in influencing American policy toward the Chinese Republican Revolution and the Twenty-One Demands of 1915. James Reed's treatment of the struggle between William Jennings Bryan and Robert Lansing over the Japanese demands in China is detailed and penetrating. This book builds on the work of Akira Iriye, Michael Hunt, Ernest May, and others in its analysis of cultural attitudes, business affairs, and the mindset of the foreign policy elites. Its thesis--that the Protestant missionary movement profoundly shaped the course of our historical relations with East Asia--will interest both specialists and general readers. |
Contributor Bio(s): Fairbank, John King: - John King Fairbank was Francis Lee Higginson Professor of History and Director of the East Asian Research Center at Harvard University. |