Melvyn C. Goldstein 
A History of Modern Tibet, 1913-1951 
The Demise of the Lamaist State

The ‘Tibetan Question, ‘ the nature of Tibet’s political status vis-à-vis China, has been the subject of often bitterly competing views while the facts of the issue have not been fully accessible to interested observers. While one faction has argued that Tibet was, in the main, historically independent until it was conquered by the Chinese Communists in 1951 and incorporated into the new Chinese state, the other faction views Tibet as a traditional part of China that split away at the instigation of the British after the fall of the Manchu Dynasty and was later dutifully reunited with ‘New China’ in 1951. In contrast, this comprehensive study of modern Tibetan history presents a detailed, non-partisan account of the demise of the Lamaist state.


Drawing on a wealth of British, American, and Indian diplomatic records; first-hand-historical accounts written by Tibetan participants; and extensive interviews with former Tibetan officials, monastic leaders, soldiers, and traders, Goldstein meticulously examines what happened and why. He balances the traditional focus on international relations with an innovative emphasis on the intricate web of internal affairs and events that produced the fall of Tibet. Scholars and students of Asian history will find this work an invaluable resource and interested readers will appreciate the clear explanation of highly polemicized, and often confusing, historical events.


This title is part of UC Press’s Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1989.

The ‘Tibetan Question, ‘ the nature of Tibet’s political status vis-à-vis China, has been the subject of often bitterly competing views while the facts of the issue have not been fully accessible to interested observers. While one faction has argued that T

Daftar Isi

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Explanation of Romanization and Abbreviations

Preface

Introduction: Tibetan Society, 1913-1951


I

THE ERA OF THE 13TH

DALAI LAMA AND RETING, 1913-1941

1. The Early Years of the 13th Dalai Lama

2. Tibet and the New Republic in China

3. The Dalai Lama, the Army, and the Monastic Segment

4. The Death of the 13th Dalai Lama

5. The Fall of Kumbela

6. In Search of a New Tibet: Lungshar’s Reform Party

7. The Mission of General Huang Mu-sung

8. The British, the Chinese, and the Panchen Lama

9. Reting Takes Control, Then Resigns

10. Conclusion to Part One: The Reting Years


II

THE ERA OF TAKTRA AND

THE 14TH DALAI LAMA, 1941-1951

11. The Early Years of the Taktra Regency: 1941-1943

12. Change and Confrontation in the Twilight of World War II

13. The Seeds of Rebellion

14. The Reting Conspiracy

15. The Victory Congratulations Mission, 1945-1946

16. Further Attempts at International Visibility

17. Tibet after the Fall of the Kuomintang

18. The People’s Liberation Army Invades

19. After the Fall of Chamdo

20. Tibet Capitulates: The Seventeen-Point Agreement

21. The Dalai Lama Returns to Lhasa


Conclusion: The Demise of the Lamaist State

Postscript

Appendix A. Anglo-Chinese Convention of 1906

Appendix B. Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907

Appendix C. The Simla Agreements of 1914


Glossary of Tibetan Terms

References

Correct Tibetan Spellings

Index

Tentang Penulis

Melvyn C. Goldstein is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anthropology, Case Western Reserve University, and co-author of Nomads of Western Tibet (California 1990).