The underdeveloped areas of the world are becoming the crucial battleground between Communism and freedom. What types of people in these areas are attracted to Communism"? What is their understanding of the movement, and what do they hope to get out of it? What does it mean to them to join the Party, and why do they leave?

In seeking answers to such questions, the author conducted detailed interviews with former members of the Malayan Communist Party, a pragmatic, ambitious group of Chinese Malayans. Their answers reveal important differences between Eastern and Western Communism, and suggest findings that are significant in meeting the threat of Communism not only in Malaya but in the rest of Asia. The author has used the methods of social science in interpreting his material and has concentrated on the problem of political behavior, about which less is known than of the military struggle.

Originally published in 1950.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.