In this book I examine the work of Zhang Shizhao (1881–1973), one of the most intellectually substantive Chinese thinkers of the early twentieth century. I do so to raise a series of questions about political action, targeting in particular the equation of collective action with political action prevalent in much contemporary democratic political theory. This book is thus not an intellectual biography, but an attempt to treat Zhang seriously as the theorist of politics that he – and many of his contemporaries – claimed he was. Readers who are not interested in or familiar with Chinese thought should nevertheless find the analysis significant, because it treats of an important problem rarely considered in contemporary Euro-American political theory: how can we as individuals take effective action to change social and political environments, when no self-consciously political community exists to legitimate or execute such action? Those who are interested in Chinese political thought will also hopefully find something of value in this book. The present study is the only extended examination of this influential political thinker in any Western language; it is also the first book-length attempt by a political theorist to critically engage any member of Zhang's transitional generation, whose work set the stage for Chinese political thinking in the twentieth century. By showcasing the often overlooked clarity and persuasive force of the arguments advanced in this era, I hope to offer a new perspective on modern Chinese intellectual developments even as I defend a compelling political theory.