A History of Modern Tibet, Volume 1: The Demise of the Lamaist State, 1913-1951

DETAILS : 

• Author : Melvyn C. Goldstein 
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dev Publishers & Distributors
  
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ 1 January 2018
  
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
  
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 936 pages
  
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9381406375
  
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-9381406373
  
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1100 G 

ABOUT THE BOOK

A History of Modern Tibet, Volume 1: The Demise of the Lamaist State, 1913–1951 is the foundational volume of Melvyn C. Goldstein’s monumental trilogy. This book is widely regarded as the most comprehensive and objective account of Tibet’s political history during the period of its "de facto" independence, from the fall of the Qing Dynasty to the arrival of the People's Liberation Army.

The narrative focuses on the internal and external pressures that led to the collapse of the traditional Tibetan state. Goldstein provides a masterful analysis of:

• The 13th Dalai Lama’s Reforms: The struggle to modernize the Tibetan army and administration against a conservative monastic establishment.
• Monastic vs. Lay Power: The intense internal rivalries between the great monasteries (the "Three Seats") and the progressive government officials.
• Geopolitics: The "Great Game" involving Britain, India, and China, and how Tibet’s isolationist policies eventually left it diplomatically vulnerable.
• The Reting Regency: The scandalous and tragic internal conflicts that occurred during the search for the 14th Dalai Lama.

Goldstein's use of over 100 interviews with former Tibetan officials and thousands of pages of declassified British and Tibetan documents makes this a definitive, "inside-out" look at a lost world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melvyn C. Goldstein is an American anthropologist and historian of the highest order. A Professor at Case Western Reserve University, he is the preeminent Western authority on Tibetan society and history.

Unlike many writers who approach Tibet through a purely religious or political lens, Goldstein’s background in anthropology allows him to examine the social structures—such as the "monastic tax" system and the specificities of Tibetan feudalism—that dictated political outcomes. He is credited with bringing a "cold-eyed realism" to Tibetan studies, moving past the idealized "Shangri-La" myths to show the gritty, complex reality of a state struggling to survive in a rapidly changing 20th-century landscape.