The Tiananmen Papers: The Chinese Leadership's Decision to Use Force Against Their Own People - In Their Own Words

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Description

The events of the Beijing Spring of 1989 were amongst the most momentous of China's tumultuous 20th century. What began as a peaceful memorial demonstration following the death of a popular reform leader, soon developed into a massive pro-democracy movement with Tiananmen Square as the focal point. As hundreds of thousands of students and workers poured onto the Beijing streets, the Chinese government responded first by declaring martial law and then, on 4th June, fatefully sending in the People's Liberation Army to crush the protesters forcefully. This book is a collaboration between America's most prominent Chinese scholars and people inside China to provide an inside look at the Chinese Politburo. It has not been revealed before exactly how the secretive Chinese ruling elite makes policy and decisions, nor has anyone been able to fully understand Chinese politics. They are revealed here with specificity and clarity. Like the Pentagon Papers on the operations of the American government during the Vietnam War, "The Tiananmen Papers" are extremely sensitive, offering a detailed, first-hand look inside China.

Reviews

'Thanks to these documents, we can read the words of the Party bosses, angry and baffled... Today many Chinese officials blandly deny that there was a massacre at all. These documents, however, prove it all.' John Simpson, BBC's World Affairs Editor 'Fascinating.' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'The significance and rarity of the book and its potential value to researchers can hardly be overstated.' OBSERVER 'The most valuable political book I read was THE TIANANMEN PAPERS, which gives an extraordinary insight into the old regime's ruthless stand against the freedom campaigners in Beijing in 1989.' GUARDIAN 'To read THE TIANANMEN PAPERS is to hold history in your hands.' SUNDAY HERALD

Author Bio

Andrew Nathan is Professor of Politics at Columbia University and the author of numerous books including CHINA'S TRANSITION. Perry Link is Professor of Chinese Language and Literature at Princeton University.