The Lessons of History: The Chinese People's Liberation Army at 75

The title of this volume, “The Lessons of History: The Chinese People’s Liberation Army at 75,” captures well the overall theme of the twelve chapters that follow. The primary focus is not on summarizing the lessons that analysts or scholars from outside China have learned when they look back at the past three-quarters of a century of Chinese military history. Rather, the emphasis of this volume is to assess key lessons that the top ranks of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have drawn from their own military’s 75- year history. The reader should be clear at the outset: this volume is not a comprehensive up-to-date overview of the state of the PLA; nor is it a comprehensive 75-year history of the Chinese communist military. Anyone seeking these will have to look elsewhere. The primary value of this volume, we believe, is that it provides insights into what Chinese military leaders themselves take from their past.