ABSTRACT
In Communist China, there is no word more sacred or richer in righteous indignation and moral force than "revolution". Particularly since the Communist Party took power, "revolution" has become a pure, holy word. The events in May 1989 in Tiananmen Square were a reminder of that famous statement of Lenin's: "Revolutions are the festivals of the oppressed and the exploited". "Revolution" implies that to rebel is just; that individual actions pale in the sight of heaven compared to actions done in the name of revolution. No matter how cruel the behavior, how blind and unconsidered the action, how absurd the movement—if it can be termed "revolutionary", it becomes reasonable and can be carried out unscrupulously. The democracy that was extolled during the 1989 protest movement possessed only the smallest amount of realistic, rational righteousness. For the race, for democracy, for freedom, the people were willing to march to the altar of righteousness— and consequently of sacrifice.
