The Tragedy of LiberationIn The Tragedy of Liberation, Frank Diktter delves deep into the seismic social and political upheaval that followed Mao Zedong's rise to power in 1949, when he hoisted the red flag over Beijings Forbidden City. Rather than liberating the country, the communist revolutionaries dismantled the old order and established a repressive system that infiltrated every aspect of Chinese life. This extensive narrative uncovers the harrowing reality beneath the