Abstract:
Prof. Xiabao Lü will discuss his new book, “Domination and Mobilization,” in which he explores the dramatic rise of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the unexpected collapse of the Kuomintang (KMT) in the early 20th century. He argues that domination and mobilization are crucial for strengthening authoritarian parties before they seize state power, and that party building was pivotal in shaping successes and failures in resource mobilization. Relying on party archives from a wide range of sources, he reveal that the CCP’s mass mobilization infrastructure, initially seen as a disadvantage before the Sino-Japanese War, became a powerful asset during the war and led to its victory. The KMT’s elite mobilization infrastructure, conversely, was decimated by the war, and its lack of a strong leader prevented a successful shift in party-building strategy. The book sheds new light on the origins of the CCP and the inner workings of revolutionary parties.

Biography:
Xiaobo Lü is an Associate Professor of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley. His research explores the relationships between fiscal policies, party-building, and state-society relations in authoritarian regimes, particularly in China. He is the author of Domination and Mobilization: The Rise and Fall of Political Parties in China’s Republican Era (Cambridge University Press, 2025). His work has appeared in leading journals such as American Political
Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, and Comparative Politics Studies.