According to Zhang, were the protestors trying to overthrow the government? What were their demands? How might they have defined democracy why was that democracy incompatible with Deng’s reform project?

Learning Goal: I’m working on a history writing question and need an explanation and answer to help me learn.

Respond to the following prompt in a 500-word essay.

Primary question: Why did Deng Xiaoping crack down on the protestors in Tiananmen and what does this tell us about the flexibility and limits of Chinese communism after Mao?

Sub-questions you should answer en route to answering the question: According to Zhang, were the protestors trying to overthrow the government? What were their demands? How might they have defined democracy why was that democracy incompatible with Deng’s reform project?

Your precise answers and argument are up to you. That said, all papers must quote, describe, and cite the Tiananmen 1989 several times, going into a deep description of two or more key scenes and panels. These scenes and panels must be from different parts of the book but speak to the same basic point. (Do not stick to the beginning. Show me you read to the end and analyze your scenes in detail.) Papers must also directly quote, describe, and reference at least one other relevant source, ideally more than once. Options include The Twentieth Century, “The Communist Crackdown in Beijing” and any other readings from class you find relevant.

Citations should be in-text, parenthetical, and frequent. After you quote or paraphrase a text, include the following information: (Author, page number). That means a reference to the course text should look like this: (Zhang, et al., 35) and (Schoppa, 132). As long as you only use sources distributed by me, no works cited page is required.

Papers will be graded on writing (grammar, syntax, typos, etc.), analytical precision, historical accuracy, grasp and usage of the sources, and persuasion. Before you finalize your papers, ask yourself:

• • Have I argued my point persuasively? Am I (you) convinced?
• • Have I backed up my own argument with arguments from the texts and a critical analysis of those references?
• • Have I answered all questions above in a cogent, standard essay consisting of multiple paragraphs, an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion?
• • Have I used Tiananmen 1989 and my other sources effectively? Do I show I understand them?
• • Did I include several quotations and citations?
• • Have I written at least five hundred words?
• • Have I edited my work?

As always, if anything is unclear or you have additional questions, just ask.