This thesis explores the role of perception regarding the interpretation of the others' intentions and policy in international politics. The CCP decision-makers' worldview and images of the other shaped their Party's policy toward the United States in 1942-1947. The CCP leadership inclined to understand the world by following their pre-existing theories and concepts such as the law of Contradiction and the United Front policy. The CCP's policy during this period was not simply a response to the limits and opportunities posed by the objective conditions, but it was the result of the interaction between the perception of the world and the choice of appropriate actions. The study builds on the Central Communist Party's interpretation of the international scene. Apart from the analysis of t...[ Read more ]

This thesis explores the role of perception regarding the interpretation of the others' intentions and policy in international politics. The CCP decision-makers' worldview and images of the other shaped their Party's policy toward the United States in 1942-1947. The CCP leadership inclined to understand the world by following their pre-existing theories and concepts such as the law of Contradiction and the United Front policy. The CCP's policy during this period was not simply a response to the limits and opportunities posed by the objective conditions, but it was the result of the interaction between the perception of the world and the choice of appropriate actions. The study builds on the Central Communist Party's interpretation of the international scene. Apart from the analysis of the power struggle, the study provides another perspective to understand why the CCP confronted the United States in mid-1940s and decided to enter a civil war in 1946.