Deadly Decision in Beijing

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.

• 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.

'A stunning, meticulously researched, brilliant analysis. Yang Su's book forces us to re-evaluate everything we thought we knew about the Tiananmen Square movement and its violent repression. The analysis also reminds us of how much we miss when we lack access to information about elite decision making processes and how those processes may shape trajectories of social movements. While activists think strategically about how elite opponents' vulnerabilities open up opportunities for action, their elite opponents may be thinking strategically about how they can use movements to position themselves in elite power struggles. Elegantly written and perfectly suited for undergraduate or graduate courses related to social movements, revolution, politics, and power.' Rory McVeigh, Notre Dame University