Title: The Role of the Working Class in the 1989 Mass Movement in Beijing
Abstract:The relationship between the working class of Beijing and the students’ demonstrations for democracy in the early summer of 1989 has been subject to misinterpretation. While undoubtedly there is evide...The relationship between the working class of Beijing and the students’ demonstrations for democracy in the early summer of 1989 has been subject to misinterpretation. While undoubtedly there is evidence of support by working‐class organizations, and some of the leaders of those organizations undoubtedly pursued an agenda of democratization, the masses probably had no such aims. They joined the demonstrators on Tiananmen Square, often on an ad hoc and part‐time basis in the evenings, and attempted to block the route of troops. However, evidence of posters and slogans, some with essentially economic demands, suggests a desire on the part of the masses to persuade the government to reach a compromise with the student leaders, notably those on hunger‐strike, so as to avoid unnecessary deaths, rather than to bring about a serious change in the regime in the direction of democracy.Read More
Publication Year: 1996
Publication Date: 1996-09-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 3
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