a necessity. In most cases, the techniques ultimately employed by
these new societies bear a close resemblance to those pioneered
by the Kuomintang after 1920. They involve a concept of tute-
lage, a single or dominant party system, and a wide range of
socio-economic reforms, including programs for popular edu-
cation, legal reform, and economic planning. The mobilization
and commitment of the masses to party objectives are primary
goals. Yet at the same time, among most political elites there is
a genuine desire to avoid the type of totalitarianism implicit in
the more rigorous Communist model.

In the light of these developments and the vital stake which
all men have in their outcome, Professor Yu's well researched
and authoritative monograph has a clear contemporary signifi-
cance. The Kuomintang made pioneer efforts to seek out a new
path toward political modernization without abandoning demo-
cratic goals, and this study concentrates upon the critical period
when its principles and tactics were constantly being tested and
reformulated. During those dramatic years, the Kuomintang, in
its own way, symbolized the great political issues which still
characterize this revolutionary age.

ROBERT A. SCALAPINO

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