NATION-BUILDING POLICIES IN COMMUNIST CHINA, 1949-1965.

Why do multi-ethnic states treat various ethnic groups differently? Why do these ethnic groups have diverging responses to these state policies? We argue that interstate relations and ethnic group perceptions about the relative strength of competing states account for the variation in state-ethnic group relations. In particular, whether an ethnic group has an external patron matters a great deal for the host state's treatment of the group. If the external patron of the ethnic group is an enemy of the host state, then repression is likely. Given the existence of an external patron, an ethnic group's response to a state's policies depends on the group's perceptions about the relative strength of the external patron vis-à-vis the host state. If the ethnic group perceives the external patron as a strong state, then mobilization and demand for more autonomy or even secession become likely. We illustrate our theoretical framework on eighteen largest ethnic groups in China, from 1949 to 1965. In this paper, we study the Chinese government's policies toward these groups and examine how these groups responded to these nationbuilding policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]