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In this play-by-play account of the elite politics that led to the military crackdown during the 1989 Tiananmen protests, Su addresses the repression of the protest in the context of political leadership succession. He challenges conventional views that see the military intervention as a necessary measure against a revolutionary mobilization.
List of contents
1. Introduction: a decision to kill; Part I. Party-state Leadership in the Deng Era: 2. The coming of the Deng Era: 1976-1987; 3. The fate of two successors: 1980-April 15, 1989; Part II. Elite Politics and the Making of the Tiananmen Protest: 4. Early response and the growth of the protest: April 15-April 26, 1989; 5. Where was Deng Xiaoping? April 15-May 11, 1989; 6. How a moderate approach failed: April 26-May 17, 1989; Part III. The Decision for Military Intervention: 7. Was it a revolution? April 15-June 3, 1989; 8. The martial law decision: May 13-May 19, 1989; 9. Military operation as symbolic display of power: June 3-June 4, 1989; Part IV. The Political Impact: 10. Deng's long game: 1989-1992; 11. Conclusion: Tiananmen and China's communist authoritarianism.
About the author
Yang Su is Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine and a scholar of social movements, revolution, and political violence. His book Collective Killings in Rural China during the Cultural Revolution (2011) was a winner of the Barrington Moore Book Award and an Honourable Mention of the Charles Tilly Book Award of the American Sociological Association.
