Quelling the People
Quelling the People: The Military Suppression of the Beijing Democracy Movement is a history book which investigates the conflict between the Chinese democracy movement in Beijing and the communist-controlled People's Liberation Army, culminating in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre in Beijing.[1]
 Front cover of Quelling the People | |
| Author | Timothy Brook |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | History |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press, Lester Publishing, Stanford University Press |
Publication date | 1992, 1 December 1998 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback, Paperback) |
| Pages | 292 |
| ISBN | 0-8047-3638-3 (paper) |
The book is written by Timothy Brook, a distinguished Canadian historian[2] who specializes in the study of China.[3]
Synopsis
editQuelling the People investigates the conflict between the Chinese democracy movement in Beijing, China and the Communist Party-controlled People's Liberation Army. The democracy movement began during the Beijing Spring in 1978 and the conflict culminated in a mass confrontation between the citizens of Beijing and the People's Liberation Army at Tiananmen Square in June 1989.[1] The immediate conflict at Tiananmen Square was brought to an end by the People's Liberation Army which used force, causing the death of hundreds of civilians.[1] The massacre was followed by a "media silence"[1] and the suppression of the democracy movement.
In the book, which centres around a "detailed reconstruction of the Tiananmen Square massacre on June 3 and 4, 1989,"[4] the author examines the confusion of, and mistakes made by, the Chinese authorities, as well as the role of the "Tank Man", the civilian who famously stood his ground in front of a column of four army tanks that were leaving Tiananmen Square.[1]
Reception
editJune Teufel Dreyer, writing in The China Quarterly states that "the author skillfully weaves eyewitness accounts into a smoothly flowing narrative. Two maps of Beijing assist the reader in following the actions described, and there is a useful chronology of events. The work should interest both generalists and specialists, and spans the disciplines of history, political science, and sociology."[5] However, the reviewer finds it "difficult to accept Brook's conclusion, advanced in the final pages of the book and without prior conceptualization" in which he makes a "startling last-minute resort to external imperialism-as-bogeyman."[5]
In the journal Pacific Affairs, Tony Saich is of the opinion that "the author has done a magnificent job of reconstructing the military mobilization in Beijing and the role of the People's Liberation Army in the bloody suppression of the Chinese people's movement." He sums up Quelling the People as "a moving book that vividly displays the extraordinary bravery of the residents of Beijing."[6]
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ a b c d e Staff (11 December 2005). "FRONTLINE: The Tank Man: Interviews: Timothy Brook (edited transcript)". Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
- ^ Dirda, Michael (27 January 2008). "Painting the World: How a hunger for tea and tobacco created global trade". Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-01-22.
- ^ Conrad, Peter (29 June 2008). "A time when every picture told a story". The Observer. Retrieved 2010-01-22.
- ^ Staff (1998). Quelling the People: The Military Suppression of the Beijing Democracy Movement: product description. Stanford University Press. ISBN 0804736383. From the book's back cover "blurb".
- ^ a b Dreyer, June Teufel (December 1993). "Quelling the People: The Military Suppression of the Beijing Democracy Movement by Timothy Brook". The China Quarterly. 136 (136). Cambridge University Press on behalf of the School of Oriental and African Studies: 988–989. doi:10.1017/S0305741000032446. JSTOR 655602. S2CID 155061305. Special Issue: Greater China (December 1993).
- ^ Saich, Tony (Winter 1993–1994). "Quelling the People: The Military Suppression of the Beijing Democracy Movement by Timothy Brook". Pacific Affairs. 66 (4). Pacific Affairs, University of British Columbia: 573–574. doi:10.2307/2760686. JSTOR 2760686.
References
edit- Mulvenon, James (February 2000). "Quelling the People: The Military Suppression of the Beijing Democracy Movement by Timothy Brook". The Journal of Asian Studies. 59 (1). Association for Asian Studies: 145–146. doi:10.2307/2658599. JSTOR 2658599. S2CID 159711035.
- Wortzel, Larry M. (January 1994). "Quelling the People: The Military Suppression of the Beijing Democracy Movement by Timothy Brook". Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs. 31 (31). Contemporary China Center, Australian National University: 123–126. doi:10.2307/2949905. JSTOR 2949905. Volume or issue is simply shown as "No. 31".
- Staff (11 December 2005). "FRONTLINE: The Tank Man: Interviews: Timothy Brook (edited transcript)". Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
- Dreyer, June Teufel (December 1993). "Quelling the People: The Military Suppression of the Beijing Democracy Movement by Timothy Brook". The China Quarterly. 136 (136). Cambridge University Press on behalf of the School of Oriental and African Studies: 988–989. doi:10.1017/S0305741000032446. JSTOR 655602. S2CID 155061305. Special Issue: Greater China (December 1993).
- Saich, Tony (Winter 1993–1994). "Quelling the People: The Military Suppression of the Beijing Democracy Movement by Timothy Brook". Pacific Affairs. 66 (4). Pacific Affairs, University of British Columbia: 573–574. doi:10.2307/2760686. JSTOR 2760686.