In their previous work, Ten Years of Turbulence, the authors analysed the Cultural Revolution itself in fine detail. In this volume, they examine the effect the Cultural Revolution had on the very functioning of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and how the turmoil and the chaos of this revolutionary movement engulfed this elitist and prestigious Ministry. It then goes on to focus on the decision-making process in Chinese foreign policy and the principal role played by Mao Zedong, considering his ideological approach to foreign policy and his perception of the outside world. The third aspect of the study is the conflict between traditionalists and the defenders of new revolutionary concepts and the impact this had on the implementation of foreign policy. The final section of the book deals with the new approach to foreign policy engendered by the Soviet threat to China's national security.