The history of China in the twentieth century has been dominated by the struggle for security and prosperity. The pressures of population and foreign competition destroyed the traditional structures of power and belief, and after forty years of rule, the Communist Party is now faced with a crisis of confidence brought on by the many obstacles to development, the collapse of the Eastern Block, and the spread of liberal ideas. Tracing the key political, social, and economic events, this overview provides an accessible introduction to China's recent past and the problems it must face in the near future.