The Chinese democracy movement (Simplified Chinese: 中国民主运动; Traditional Chinese: 中國民主運動; Pinyin: Zhōngguó Mínzhǔyùndòng, abbreviated as Mínyùn "民运") is a loosely organized political movement in mainland China against continued one-party rule by the Communist Party of China. The movement began during Beijing Spring in 1978 and played an important role in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. In the 1990s, the movement underwent a decline both within China and overseas, and is currently fragmented and not considered by most analysts to be a serious threat to power to the government of the People's Republic of China. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Traditional Chinese (Traditional Chinese: 正體字/繁體字, Simplified Chinese: 正体字/繁体字) refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), commonly called Pinyin, is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Politics is the process and method of decision-making for groups of human beings. ... ... The Communist Party of China (CPC) (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), also known as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the ruling political party of the Peoples Republic of China, a position guaranteed by the countrys constitution. ... The Beijing Spring was a brief period of political liberalization in the Peoples Republic of China which occurred in 1977 and 1978. ... The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 were a series of demonstrations led by students, intellectuals, and labour activists in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) between April 15, 1989 and June 4, 1989. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Government of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

History

The origin of the movement was the brief liberalization known as Beijing Spring which occurred after the Cultural Revolution. The founding document of the movement is considered to be the manifesto Fifth Modernization by Wei Jingsheng, who was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for authoring the document. In it, Wei argued that the empowering of the laboring masses was essential for modernization, that the Communist Party was controlled by reactionaries, and that the people must struggle to overthrow the reactionaries via a long and possibly bloody fight. In general, liberalization refers to a relaxation of previous government restrictions, usually in areas of social or economic policy. ... The Beijing Spring was a brief period of political liberalization in the Peoples Republic of China which occurred in 1977 and 1978. ... The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; literally Proletarian Cultural Great Revolution; often abbreviated to 文化大革命 wénhuà dà gémìng, literally Great Cultural Revolution, or even simpler, to 文革 wéngé, Cultural Revolution) was a period of social chaos and political anarchy in the Peoples... Look up manifesto in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Democracy Wall was a wall in the Xidan District in Beijing. ... Wei Jingsheng WEI Jingsheng is the best-known Chinese human rights and democracy fighter and is the leader for the opposition against the Chinese Communist dictatorship. ...

Throughout the 1980s, these ideas increased in popularity among college educated mainland Chinese. In response to the growing corruption, the economic dislocation, and the sense that reforms in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe were leaving China behind, the Tiananmen Square protests erupted in 1989. These protests were put down by government troops on June 4, 1989. In response, a number of pro-democracy organizations were formed by overseas Chinese student activists, and there was considerable sympathy for the movement among Westerners, who formed the China Support Network (CSN). Map of Eastern Europe Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange),members of the Warsaw pact (light orange), and other former Communist regimes not aligned with Moscow (lightest orange). ... The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 were a series of demonstrations led by students, intellectuals, and labour activists in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) between April 15, 1989 and June 4, 1989. ... June 4 is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Students occupying Sheffield town hall over the introduction of higher education fees Student activism is work done by students to effect political, environmental, economic, or social change. ... The China Support Network (CSN) is a U.S.-based organization promoting democracy for mainland China. ...

While the CSN was initially a go-to organization for U.S. mainstream news media (MSM) to cite, CSN and MSM parted company in a dispute over the casualty count from the June 4 massacre. MSM originally reported 3,000 dead. On June 22, 1989, Agence France Press referred to "the Chinese army's assault on the demonstrators in and around Beijing's Tiananmen Square, an operation in which U.S. intelligence sources estimated 3,000 people were killed…" That casualty count, originally reported as above, was subsequently changed by the news media. CSN repoorted that it was the interest of China's propaganda minister to reduce the casualty count by an order of magnitude, resulting in later reports that "hundreds" were killed at Tiananmen Square. In November, 1989 CSN editor James W. Hawkins MD wrote, "It appears as if Mr. Yuan Mu [propaganda minister] has gotten his way and when we read reports on the AP wire we are told exactly what Mr. Mu wants us to read." June 4 is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ...

The rift between CSN and MSM plays into the history of the movement. The principle of estoppel was violated by the MSM, which changed its story. Meanwhile, the CSN held its estimate steady at 3,000, not violating estoppel and maintaining the credibility of consistency. (In January, 2005 upon the death of ousted Communist Party chief Zhao Ziyang, CSN raised its estimate to 3,001 dead in the Tiananmen crackdown.) CSN proceeded to be critical of the MSM, and MSM proceeded to minimize, downplay, ignore, or underreport movement news and China's human rights abuse.

Current situation

By the 1990s, the democracy movement seemed to be in decline, both within and outside China. This could be in part the result of the Chinese government tightening its control over its people's freedom of speech, thus giving the appearance of disinterest. The difficulties that the Soviet Union had in converting to democracy and capitalism was used to validate the PRC's official position that slow gradual reform was a wise policy. Structurally, democracy promotion organizations in the United States such as the China Alliance for Democracy, the Federation for a Democratic China and the Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars suffered from internal disputes and infighting. Much support was lost over the issue of Most Favored Nation trade status and China's entry into the World Trade Organization which was popular both within and outside of China, but which were opposed by 79% of the American people (in a poll published by BusinessWeek) and the overseas democracy movement. It has been suggested that Definitions of capitalism be merged into this article or section. ... Federation for a Democratic China is an organization that strives for democracy and human rights in China. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Most favoured nation (or most favored nation, MFN) is a term used in international trade. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Censorship in China is very strict, including in the Internet. The new generation finds it difficult to obtain, or are unware of, the truth regarding several important historical events which occurred before they were born. Many people who originally supported the 1989 democracy demonstrations began to side with what the government has been promoting for years: that stability is more important than a move to Western democracy, and that it was necessary to use the army to crack down on the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Censorship in the Peoples Republic of China refers to the government of the Peoples Republic of Chinas policy of controlling the publishing, dissemination, and viewing of certain information. ...

A generation gap has begun to appear between older and younger students when people born after the Cultural Revolution began entering college campuses. These students saw the older activists as more pro-American than pro-democracy, are far more supportive of the Communist Party, and also tend to be more nationalistic. Internal disputes within the movement over such issues as most-favored nation status (U.S. trade law) for China crippled the movement, as did the perception by many within China that overseas dissidents such as Harry Wu and Wei Jingsheng were simply out of touch with the growing economic prosperity and decreasing political control within China. SHIT ON MY FACE! A generation gap is a popular term used to describe wide differences in cultural norms between members of a younger generation and their elders. ... The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; literally Proletarian Cultural Great Revolution; often abbreviated to 文化大革命 wénhuà dà gémìng, literally Great Cultural Revolution, or even simpler, to 文革 wéngé, Cultural Revolution) was a period of social chaos and political anarchy in the Peoples... Most favoured nation (or most favored nation, MFN) is a term used in international trade. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Professor Harry Wu (in Chinese Wu Hongda 吳弘達) (born 1937) is an activist for human rights in the Peoples Republic of China. ... Wei Jingsheng WEI Jingsheng is the best-known Chinese human rights and democracy fighter and is the leader for the opposition against the Chinese Communist dictatorship. ...

Government response

Ideologically, the government's first reaction to the democracy movement was an effort to focus on the personal behavior of individual dissidents and argue that they were tools of foreign powers. In the mid-1990s, the government began using more effective arguments which were influenced by Chinese Neo-Conservatism and Western authors such as Edmund Burke. The main argument was that China's main priority was economic growth, and economic growth required political stability. The democracy movement was flawed because it promoted radicalism and revolution which put the gains that China had made into jeopardy. In contrast to Wei's argument that democracy was essential to economic growth, the government argued that economic growth must come before political liberalization, comparable to what happened in the Asian Tigers. Political Ideologies Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      An ideology is an organized collection of ideas. ... In the Peoples Republic of China, neoconservatism is a movement which first arose in the early 1990s and argues that social progress is best accomplished through gradual reform of society, eschewing revolution and sudden overthrow of the governmental system. ... Edmund Burke (January 12, 1729[1] – July 9, 1797) was an Anglo-Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist, and philosopher, who served for many years in the British House of Commons as a member of the Whig party. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... The term Radical (latin radix meaning root) was used from the late 18th century for proponents of the Radical Movement and has since been used as a label in political science for those favouring or trying to produce thoroughgoing political reforms which can include changes to the social order to... The storming of the Bastille, 14 July 1789 during the French Revolution. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... The East Asian Tigers, sometimes also referred to as Asias Four Little Dragons, referred to the economies of Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and industrialization between the early 1960s and 1990s. ...

With regard to political dissent engendered by the movement, the government has taken a three pronged approach. First, dissidents who are widely known in the West such as Wei Jingsheng, Fang Lizhi, and Wang Dan are deported. Although Chinese criminal law does not contain any provisions for exiling citizens, these deportations are conducted by giving the dissident a severe jail sentence and the granting of medical parole. Second, the less well-known leaders of a dissident movement are identified and given severe jail sentences. Generally, the government targets a relative small number of organizers who are crucial in coordinating a movement and are charged with endangering state security or revealing official secrets. Thirdly, the government attempts to address the grievances of possible supporters of the movement. This is intended to isolate the leadership of the movement, and prevent disconnected protests which cannot threaten the Communist hold on power from combining into a general organized protest that can. Individual rights Free speech, free press Soap box, Speakers corner (Hyde Park), blog (weblog) prior restraint, censorship, self-censorship, censor Right to assembly Gay rights, Stonewall Feminism, ERA, equal pay, Title IX Famous political dissenters Gandhi Steve Biko Nelson Mandela Martin Luther King, Jr. ... Wei Jingsheng WEI Jingsheng is the best-known Chinese human rights and democracy fighter and is the leader for the opposition against the Chinese Communist dictatorship. ... Fang Lizhi Chinese: 方励之; Hanyu Pinyin: (born February 12, 1936) was a professor of astrophysics and vice president of the University of Science and Technology of China whose teachings inspired the pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. ... Wang in Taipei Wang Dan (Chinese: 王丹; pinyin: Wáng Dān) (born February 26, 1969), a leader of the Chinese democracy movement, was one of the most visible of the student leaders in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. ... Criminal law (also known as penal law) is the body of statutory and common law that deals with crime and the legal punishment of criminal offenses. ... Exile (band) may refer to: Exile - The American country music band Exile - The Japanese pop music band Category: ... The word citizen may refer to: A person with a citizenship Citizen Watch Co. ... Parole can have different meanings depending on the area and judiciary system. ... Security measures taken to protect the Houses of Parliament in London, England. ... Demonstrators march in the street while protesting the World Bank and International Monetary Fund on April 16, 2005. ...

Modern democracy activism

Many pro-democracy supporters noted that China has successfully overcome much of the challenges faced during the transition from a communist to a capitalist economy so there is no longer a need for prolonged political repression. They claim that pro-democracy forces would not necessarily stall economic growth after the transition, as the Communist Party states, and more importantly that the presence of democracy would help to check wasteful corruption and might achieve a more even distribution of wealth. Many believe that the Communist Party of China has no intention whatsoever to ever relinquish power even if all their economic goals are ever achieved; it is said that China would have refused the WTO if the terms of entry was linked to a shift to a Western-style democracy.

Within China, most protest activity now is expressed in single-issue demonstrations, which are tolerated to a degree by the government, and in quasi-religious outlets such as Falun Gong. Some of the ideas of the movement have been incorporated in the Chinese liberal faction who tend to agree with neoconservatives that stability is important, but argue that political liberalization is essential to maintain stability. In contrast to democracy movement activists, most members of the liberal faction do not overtly call for the overthrow of the Communist Party nor do they deny the possibility of reform from within the Party. As a result, members of the liberal faction are generally enjoying more official tolerance than persons who identify themselves as members of the democracy movement. Falun Gong, (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; literally Practice of the Wheel of Law) also known as Falun Dafa, (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; lit. ... Neoconservatism describes several distinct political ideologies which are considered new forms of conservatism. ... Look up liberal on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Liberal may refer to: Politics: Liberalism American liberalism, a political trend in the USA Political progressivism, a political ideology that is for change, often associated with liberal movements Liberty, the condition of being free from control or restrictions Liberal Party, members of...

See also

• China Support Network
• Politics of the People's Republic of China
• Chinese Political Parties
• List of Chinese dissidents

The China Support Network (CSN) is a U.S.-based organization promoting democracy for mainland China. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Government of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Chinese political parties include four areas: mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. ... Many Chinese political activists have been detained, jailed and/or exiled. ...

External links

• (Chinese) Free China Movement; (English) Free China Movement
• The Fifth Modernization by Wei Jingsheng
• Chinese Officials Lighten Up Under Pressure (China Today)[[ja:中国民主化運動

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