Heaven Cracks, Earth Shakes

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Author :
Publisher : Basic Books
ISBN 13 : 0465023495
Total Pages : 298 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (65 download)

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Book Synopsis Heaven Cracks, Earth Shakes by : James Palmer

Download or read book Heaven Cracks, Earth Shakes written by James Palmer and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2012-01-03 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When an earthquake of historic magnitude leveled the industrial city of Tangshan in the summer of 1976, killing more than a half-million people, China was already gripped by widespread social unrest. As Mao lay on his deathbed, the public mourned the death of popular premier Zhou Enlai. Anger toward the powerful Communist Party officials in the Gang of Four, which had tried to suppress grieving for Zhou, was already potent; when the government failed to respond swiftly to the Tangshan disaster, popular resistance to the Cultural Revolution reached a boiling point. In Heaven Cracks, Earth Shakes, acclaimed historian James Palmer tells the startling story of the most tumultuous year in modern Chinese history, when Mao perished, a city crumbled, and a new China was born.

The Great China Earthquake

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 400 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis The Great China Earthquake by : Gang Qian

Download or read book The Great China Earthquake written by Gang Qian and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Great 1976 Tangshan Earthquake

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Author :
Publisher : Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9781527571648
Total Pages : 235 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (716 download)

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Book Synopsis The Great 1976 Tangshan Earthquake by : Euan Mearns

Download or read book The Great 1976 Tangshan Earthquake written by Euan Mearns and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2021-09 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From 1966 to 1976, four large earthquakes shook the Bohai Bay rift basin of Northeast China. This prompted the Chinese to launch one of the worldâ (TM)s largest social and science experiments into earthquake prediction that would engage tens of thousands of common people. The climax of this came in February 1975 where a prediction was made hours before the Haicheng earthquake struck. Evacuation of the city of Yingkou and some rural districts saved thousands of lives. The Chinese were jubilant, believing they had cracked the earthquake prediction conundrum. Eighteen months later, however, on the 28th July, 1976, jubilation turned to despair when a great earthquake flattened the large industrial city of Tangshan resulting in 250,000 to 650,000 casualties. This book describes the geological, technical, political and sociological backgrounds to the Haicheng prediction success and the Tangshan prediction failure. Ahead of the Tangshan earthquake, Chinese seismologists had accumulated significant information that suggested an earthquake was imminent and came close to making a prediction. With improved knowledge and vastly improved ability to accumulate, consolidate and analyse data, this book suggests that Tangshan could have been predicted today using techniques developed in China in that epic decade of discovery. Building on these insights, it also offers a viable future pathway towards earthquake predictions that combines the insights and organisation of the 1966-1976 Chinese prediction program with modern technologies, in order to facilitate data gathering, interpretation and sharing.

The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Chimera of National Reconstruction in Japan

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Author :
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231162189
Total Pages : 400 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (311 download)

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Book Synopsis The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Chimera of National Reconstruction in Japan by : J. Charles Schenking

Download or read book The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Chimera of National Reconstruction in Japan written by J. Charles Schenking and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2013-07-09 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In September 1923, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake devastated eastern Japan, killing more than 120,000 people and leaving two million homeless. Using a rich array of source material, J. Charles Schencking tells for the first time the graphic tale of Tokyo's destruction and rebirth. In emotive prose, he documents how the citizens of Tokyo experienced this unprecedented calamity and explores the ways in which it rattled people's deep-seated anxieties about modernity. While explaining how and why the disaster compelled people to reflect on Japanese society, he also examines how reconstruction encouraged the capital's inhabitants to entertain new types of urbanism as they rebuilt their world. Some residents hoped that a grandiose metropolis, reflecting new values, would rise from the ashes of disaster-ravaged Tokyo. Many, however, desired a quick return of the city they once called home. Opportunistic elites advocated innovative state infrastructure to better manage the daily lives of Tokyo residents. Others focused on rejuvenating society--morally, economically, and spiritually--to combat the perceived degeneration of Japan. Schencking explores the inspiration behind these dreams and the extent to which they were realized. He investigates why Japanese citizens from all walks of life responded to overtures for renewal with varying degrees of acceptance, ambivalence, and resistance. His research not only sheds light on Japan's experience with and interpretation of the earthquake but challenges widespread assumptions that disasters unite stricken societies, creating a "blank slate" for radical transformation. National reconstruction in the wake of the Great Kanto Earthquake, Schencking demonstrates, proved to be illusive.

Early Warning Systems for Natural Disaster Reduction

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Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3642559034
Total Pages : 774 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (425 download)

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Book Synopsis Early Warning Systems for Natural Disaster Reduction by : Jochen Zschau

Download or read book Early Warning Systems for Natural Disaster Reduction written by Jochen Zschau and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-11 with total page 774 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written for a broad audience this book offers a comprehensive account of early warning systems for hydro meteorological disasters such as floods and storms, and for geological disasters such as earthquakes. One major theme is the increasingly important role in early warning systems played by the rapidly evolving fields of space and information technology. The authors, all experts in their respective fields, offer a comprehensive and in-depth insight into the current and future perspectives for early warning systems. The text is aimed at decision-makers in the political arena, scientists, engineers and those responsible for public communication and dissemination of warnings.

Escape from the Great Earthquake (Ranger in Time #6)

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Author :
Publisher : Scholastic Inc.
ISBN 13 : 0545909856
Total Pages : 107 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (459 download)

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Book Synopsis Escape from the Great Earthquake (Ranger in Time #6) by : Kate Messner

Download or read book Escape from the Great Earthquake (Ranger in Time #6) written by Kate Messner and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2017-06-27 with total page 107 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ranger, the time-traveling golden retriever with search-and-rescue training, helps two new friends survive the Great San Francisco Earthquake! Ranger travels to San Francisco and meets Lily Chen. She was sent from China to America to work as a young servant, but she dreams of studying to be a doctor. When the Great Earthquake hits, Ranger arrives in time to rescue Lily from falling beams in the mission house where she lives. Together they flee to safety, stopping to help another girl, May Wong, save her little brother from the family's collapsed market. Lily and May try to make their way through the ruined city with Ranger at their side. But can they escape crumbling buildings and raging fires, all while facing anti-Chinese discrimination?

Encyclopedia of Natural Hazards

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Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 9789048186990
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (869 download)

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Book Synopsis Encyclopedia of Natural Hazards by : Peter T. Bobrowsky

Download or read book Encyclopedia of Natural Hazards written by Peter T. Bobrowsky and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-04-03 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Few subjects have caught the attention of the entire world as much as those dealing with natural hazards. The first decade of this new millennium provides a litany of tragic examples of various hazards that turned into disasters affecting millions of individuals around the globe. The human losses (some 225,000 people) associated with the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the economic costs (approximately 200 billion USD) of the 2011 Tohoku Japan earthquake, tsunami and reactor event, and the collective social impacts of human tragedies experienced during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 all provide repetitive reminders that we humans are temporary guests occupying a very active and angry planet. Any examples may have been cited here to stress the point that natural events on Earth may, and often do, lead to disasters and catastrophes when humans place themselves into situations of high risk. Few subjects share the true interdisciplinary dependency that characterizes the field of natural hazards. From geology and geophysics to engineering and emergency response to social psychology and economics, the study of natural hazards draws input from an impressive suite of unique and previously independent specializations. Natural hazards provide a common platform to reduce disciplinary boundaries and facilitate a beneficial synergy in the provision of timely and useful information and action on this critical subject matter. As social norms change regarding the concept of acceptable risk and human migration leads to an explosion in the number of megacities, coastal over-crowding and unmanaged habitation in precarious environments such as mountainous slopes, the vulnerability of people and their susceptibility to natural hazards increases dramatically. Coupled with the concerns of changing climates, escalating recovery costs, a growing divergence between more developed and less developed countries, the subject of natural hazards remains on the forefront of issues that affect all people, nations, and environments all the time. This treatise provides a compendium of critical, timely and very detailed information and essential facts regarding the basic attributes of natural hazards and concomitant disasters. The Encyclopedia of Natural Hazards effectively captures and integrates contributions from an international portfolio of almost 300 specialists whose range of expertise addresses over 330 topics pertinent to the field of natural hazards. Disciplinary barriers are overcome in this comprehensive treatment of the subject matter. Clear illustrations and numerous color images enhance the primary aim to communicate and educate. The inclusion of a series of unique “classic case study” events interspersed throughout the volume provides tangible examples linking concepts, issues, outcomes and solutions. These case studies illustrate different but notable recent, historic and prehistoric events that have shaped the world as we now know it. They provide excellent focal points linking the remaining terms in the volume to the primary field of study. This Encyclopedia of Natural Hazards will remain a standard reference of choice for many years.

A Crack in the Edge of the World

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Author :
Publisher : Harper Collins
ISBN 13 : 0060572000
Total Pages : 514 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (65 download)

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Book Synopsis A Crack in the Edge of the World by : Simon Winchester

Download or read book A Crack in the Edge of the World written by Simon Winchester and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2006-10-10 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unleashed by ancient geologic forces, a magnitude 8.25 earthquake rocked San Francisco in the early hours of April 18, 1906. Less than a minute later, the city lay in ruins. Bestselling author Simon Winchester brings his inimitable storytelling abilities to this extraordinary event, exploring the legendary earthquake and fires that spread horror across San Francisco and northern California in 1906 as well as its startling impact on American history and, just as important, what science has recently revealed about the fascinating subterranean processes that produced it—and almost certainly will cause it to strike again.

The Great 1976 Tangshan Earthquake

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Author :
Publisher : Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1527577961
Total Pages : 235 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (275 download)

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Book Synopsis The Great 1976 Tangshan Earthquake by : Euan Mearns

Download or read book The Great 1976 Tangshan Earthquake written by Euan Mearns and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2021-12-06 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From 1966 to 1976, four large earthquakes shook the Bohai Bay rift basin of Northeast China. This prompted the Chinese to launch one of the world’s largest social and science experiments into earthquake prediction that would engage tens of thousands of common people. The climax of this came in February 1975 where a prediction was made hours before the Haicheng earthquake struck. Evacuation of the city of Yingkou and some rural districts saved thousands of lives. The Chinese were jubilant, believing they had cracked the earthquake prediction conundrum. Eighteen months later, however, on the 28th July, 1976, jubilation turned to despair when a great earthquake flattened the large industrial city of Tangshan resulting in 250,000 to 650,000 casualties. This book describes the geological, technical, political and sociological backgrounds to the Haicheng prediction success and the Tangshan prediction failure. Ahead of the Tangshan earthquake, Chinese seismologists had accumulated significant information that suggested an earthquake was imminent and came close to making a prediction. With improved knowledge and vastly improved ability to accumulate, consolidate and analyse data, this book suggests that Tangshan could have been predicted today using techniques developed in China in that epic decade of discovery. Building on these insights, it also offers a viable future pathway towards earthquake predictions that combines the insights and organisation of the 1966-1976 Chinese prediction program with modern technologies, in order to facilitate data gathering, interpretation and sharing.

After Great Disasters

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781558443310
Total Pages : 380 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (433 download)

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Book Synopsis After Great Disasters by : Laurie A. Johnson

Download or read book After Great Disasters written by Laurie A. Johnson and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Great natural disasters are rare, but their aftermath can change the fortunes of a city or region forever. This book and its companion Policy Focus Report identify lessons from different parts of the world to help communities and government leaders better organize for recovery after future disasters. The authors consider the processes and outcomes of community recovery and reconstruction following major disasters in six countries: China, New Zealand, India, Indonesia, Japan, and the United States. Post-disaster reconstruction offers opportunities to improve construction and design standards, renew infrastructure, create new land use arrangements, reinvent economies, and improve governance. If done well, reconstruction can help break the cycle of disaster-related impacts and losses, and improve the resilience of a city or region.

The Great Quake

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Publisher : Crown Publishing Group (NY)
ISBN 13 : 1101904062
Total Pages : 298 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (19 download)

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Book Synopsis The Great Quake by : Henry Fountain

Download or read book The Great Quake written by Henry Fountain and published by Crown Publishing Group (NY). This book was released on 2017 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On March 27, 1964, at 5-36 p.m., the biggest earthquake ever recorded in North America--and the second biggest ever in the world, measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale--struck Alaska, devastating coastal towns and villages and killing more than 130 people in what was then a relatively sparsely populated region. In a riveting tale about the almost unimaginable brute force of nature, New York Times science journalist Henry Fountain, in his first trade book, re-creates the lives of the villagers and townspeople living in Chenega, Anchorage, and Valdez; describes the sheer beauty of the geology of the region, with its towering peaks and 20-mile-long glaciers; and reveals the impact of the quake on the towns, the buildings, and the lives of the inhabitants. George Plafker, a geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey with years of experience scouring the Alaskan wilderness, is asked to investigate the Prince William Sound region in the aftermath of the quake, to better understand its origins. His work confirmed the then controversial theory of plate tectonics that explained how and why such deadly quakes occur, and how we can plan for the next one.

Plate Tectonics and Great Earthquakes

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Author :
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231546874
Total Pages : 342 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

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Book Synopsis Plate Tectonics and Great Earthquakes by : Lynn R. Sykes

Download or read book Plate Tectonics and Great Earthquakes written by Lynn R. Sykes and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2019-06-04 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The theory of plate tectonics transformed earth science. The hypothesis that the earth’s outermost layers consist of mostly rigid plates that move over an inner surface helped describe the growth of new seafloor, confirm continental drift, and explain why earthquakes and volcanoes occur in some places and not others. Lynn R. Sykes played a key role in the birth of plate tectonics, conducting revelatory research on earthquakes. In this book, he gives an invaluable insider’s perspective on the theory’s development and its implications. Sykes combines lucid explanation of how plate tectonics revolutionized geology with unparalleled personal reflections. He entered the field when it was on the cusp of radical discoveries. Studying the distribution and mechanisms of earthquakes, Sykes pioneered the identification of seismic gaps—regions that have not ruptured in great earthquakes for a long time—and methods to estimate the possibility of quake recurrence. He recounts the various phases of his career, including his antinuclear activism, and the stories of colleagues around the world who took part in changing the paradigm. Sykes delves into the controversies over earthquake prediction and their importance, especially in the wake of the giant 2011 Japanese earthquake and the accompanying Fukushima disaster. He highlights geology’s lessons for nuclear safety, explaining why historic earthquake patterns are crucial to understanding the risks to power plants. Plate Tectonics and Great Earthquakes is the story of a scientist witnessing a revolution and playing an essential role in making it.

Volcanoes in Human History

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Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400842859
Total Pages : 316 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis Volcanoes in Human History by : Jelle Zeilinga de Boer

Download or read book Volcanoes in Human History written by Jelle Zeilinga de Boer and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2012-01-02 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When the volcano Tambora erupted in Indonesia in 1815, as many as 100,000 people perished as a result of the blast and an ensuing famine caused by the destruction of rice fields on Sumbawa and neighboring islands. Gases and dust particles ejected into the atmosphere changed weather patterns around the world, resulting in the infamous ''year without a summer'' in North America, food riots in Europe, and a widespread cholera epidemic. And the gloomy weather inspired Mary Shelley to write the gothic novel Frankenstein. This book tells the story of nine such epic volcanic events, explaining the related geology for the general reader and exploring the myriad ways in which the earth's volcanism has affected human history. Zeilinga de Boer and Sanders describe in depth how volcanic activity has had long-lasting effects on societies, cultures, and the environment. After introducing the origins and mechanisms of volcanism, the authors draw on ancient as well as modern accounts--from folklore to poetry and from philosophy to literature. Beginning with the Bronze Age eruption that caused the demise of Minoan Crete, the book tells the human and geological stories of eruptions of such volcanoes as Vesuvius, Krakatau, Mount Pelée, and Tristan da Cunha. Along the way, it shows how volcanism shaped religion in Hawaii, permeated Icelandic mythology and literature, caused widespread population migrations, and spurred scientific discovery. From the prodigious eruption of Thera more than 3,600 years ago to the relative burp of Mount St. Helens in 1980, the results of volcanism attest to the enduring connections between geology and human destiny. Some images inside the book are unavailable due to digital copyright restrictions.

Shaken Authority

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Author :
Publisher : Cornell University Press
ISBN 13 : 1501708503
Total Pages : 246 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis Shaken Authority by : Christian P. Sorace

Download or read book Shaken Authority written by Christian P. Sorace and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2017-05-09 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No detailed description available for "Shaken Authority".

A History of Civilization in 50 Disasters (History in 50)

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Author :
Publisher : Tilbury House Publishers and Cadent Publishing
ISBN 13 : 0884484076
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (844 download)

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Book Synopsis A History of Civilization in 50 Disasters (History in 50) by : Gale Eaton

Download or read book A History of Civilization in 50 Disasters (History in 50) written by Gale Eaton and published by Tilbury House Publishers and Cadent Publishing. This book was released on 2015-10-23 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *2016 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Award Winner* The earth shakes and cracks open. Volcanoes erupt. Continents freeze, bake, and flood. Droughts parch the land. Wildfires and hundred-year storms consume anything in their paths. Invisible clouds of disease and pestilence probe for victims. Tidal waves sweep ashore from the vast sea. The natural world is a dangerous place, but one species has evolved a unique defense against the hazards: civilization. Civilization rearranges nature for human convenience. Clothes and houses keep us warm; agriculture feeds us; medicine fights our diseases. It all works—most of the time. But key resources lie in the most hazardous places, so we choose to live on river flood plains, on the slopes of volcanoes, at the edge of the sea, above seismic faults. We pack ourselves into cities, Petri dishes for germs. Civilization thrives on the edge of disaster. And what happens when natural forces meet molasses holding tanks, insecticides, deepwater oil rigs, nuclear power plants? We learn the hard way how to avoid the last disaster—and maybe how to create the next one. What we don’t know can, indeed, hurt us. This book’s white-knuckled journey from antiquity to the present leads us to wonder at times how humankind has survived. And yet, as Author Gale Eaton makes clear, civilization has advanced not just in spite of disasters but in part because of them. Hats off to human resilience, ingenuity, and perseverance! They’ve carried us this far; may they continue to do so into our ever-hazardous future. The History in 50 series explores history by telling thematically linked stories. Each book includes 50 illustrated narrative accounts of people and events—some well-known, others often overlooked—that, together, build a rich connect the-dots mosaic and challenge conventional assumptions about how history unfolds. Dedicated to the premise that history is the greatest story ever told. Includes a mix of “greatest hits” with quirky, surprising, provocative accounts. Challenges readers to think and engage. Includes a glossary of technical terms; sources by chapter; teaching resources as jumping-off points for student research; and endnotes. Fountas & Pinnell Level Z+

The Death of Mao

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Author :
Publisher : Faber & Faber
ISBN 13 : 9780571244003
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (44 download)

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Book Synopsis The Death of Mao by : James Palmer

Download or read book The Death of Mao written by James Palmer and published by Faber & Faber. This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the summer of 1976, Mao lay dying, and China was struck by a great natural disaster. The earthquake that struck Tangshan, a shoddily built mining city, was one of the worst in recorded history, killing half a million people. But the Chinese Communist rulers in Beijing were distracted, paralysed by in-fighting over who would take control after Mao finally died. Would Mao's fanatical wife and her collaborators, the Gang of Four, be allowed to continue the Cultural Revolution, which had shut China off from the world and reduced it to poverty and chaos? Or would Deng Xiaoping and his reformist friends be able to take control and open China up to the market, and end the near permanent state of civil war? Palmer recreates the tensions of that fateful summer, when the fate of China and the world were in the balance - as injured and starving people crawled among the ruins of a stricken city.

Catastrophe!

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Author :
Publisher : Citadel Press
ISBN 13 : 9780806525587
Total Pages : 370 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (255 download)

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Book Synopsis Catastrophe! by : Stephen J. Spignesi

Download or read book Catastrophe! written by Stephen J. Spignesi and published by Citadel Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than half of the disasters chronicled are natural. These floods, storms, droughts, blizzards, famines and epidemics are fierce reminders that humankind is no match for the devastating force and fury of nature. From the Great Influenza Epidemic of WWI that took nearly 40 million lives to the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, there are numerous accounts of catastrophes that could not be averted, and whose destructive power was beyond imagining.