Keeping democracy at bay : Hong Kong and the challenge of Chinese political reform / Suzanne Pepper.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pepper, Suzanne.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hong Kong (China)--Politics and government.

Hong Kong (China).

Physical Description:

x, 448 pages : map ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Hong Kong and the challenge of Chinese political reform

Place of Publication:

Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, [2008]

Summary:

This thoroughly researched study provides an invaluable account of Hong Kong's political evolution from its founding as a British colony to the present. Exploring the interplay among colonial, capitalist, communist, and democratic forces in shaping Hong Kong's political institutions and culture, Suzanne Pepper offers a fresh perspective on the territory's development and a gripping account of the transition from British to Chinese rule.

The author carries her narrative forward through the lives of significant figures, capturing the personalities and issues central to understanding Hong Kong's political history. Bringing a balanced view to her often contentious subject, she places Hong Kong's current partisan debates between democrats and their opponents within the context of China's ongoing search for a viable political form. The book considers Beijing's increasing intervention in local affairs and focuses on the challenge for Hong Kong's democratic reformers in an environment where ultimate political power resides with the communist-led mainland government and its appointees.

Contents:

Hong Kong, China, and the West

Part One: Colonial foundations

The original inheritance

Crown colony rule, 1841-1941

Chinese "self-government"

Part Two: Autocrats, communists, and reformers

New beginnings, old solutions

The Cold War reaches Hong Kong

Showcase democracy

A 1960s rebellion and its aftermath

Progress without political reform

Political reform without independence

A political community in the making

Better late than never?

Part Three: Under Chinese rule

Crossing the 1997 divide

Reaffirmation and retreat

Conservative counter-currents

Checkmate.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 397-425) and index.

ISBN:

9780742508767

0742508765

9780742508774

0742508773

OCLC:

77574109