The American century in China: Henry Luce, United China Relief, and the creation of American perceptions of China, 1931-1949.

摘要

This dissertation addresses the creation of an American myth about China for the period 1931 to 1949. By examining the political culture of the period and combining it with popular perceptions of China, this study focuses on the impact which this ideal had upon America's foreign and domestic policies. The idea arose that China was very much like the United States. The similarities between the two nations ranged from a series of common historical experiences to the same advancement toward political democracy. Geographically, China was compared to America in many different ways. The American people were frequently told that the Chinese people exhibited the same inherent attachment to social democracy as they did. Although the Chinese had not yet achieved political democracy, the argument ran that it was only a matter of time before they joined the Americans as part of the democratic peoples of the world.Many of these ideas about China were initiated by the American Protestant missionaries who had traveled to China in the 1890s. The belief arose that from the inculcation of Christianity, the English language, and American culture would come Chinese just like Americans. Subsequently, the more like Americans the Chinese were, the more likely they would be to trade with the United States. Christianity and trade, therefore, went hand in hand.One of the most important individuals for promoting this special vision to the American people was Henry R. Luce. As the founder and editor of Time, Life, and Fortune magazines, Henry Luce occupied a central position in shaping popular perceptions during the thirties and forties. Particularly, Luce worked through his magazines to propagate a view of China which fit his own special preconceptions. Furthermore, Luce worked through a larger organization of previously separate Christian bureaus called United China Relief.This dissertation seeks to place Luce's efforts, and those of others who felt the same way, into the context of American international and domestic relations for the period 1931 to 1949 and assess the impact of developing sentimental and romantic notions about another nation.