ABSTRACT
Although South Korean students have traditionally lacked the complex networks of large-scale student organizations that characterized other Asian countries, which helped students marshal and focus national student power, they nevertheless managed to generate enough power to topple their government in 1960, after Syngman Rhee, the South Korean president, forced his subordinates to orchestrate his reelection. Prior to Syngman Rhee's reelection, repression and frustration charac-- terized the political climates of universities: students could only demonstrate in support of the president's policies, which they were increasingly frustrated with, especially as the economy of South Korea languished in the 1950s. The ballot-box stuffing was the final straw for students who were already disillusioned with the government. Their protests after the election results were announced led to a police crack-- down, which catalyzed more demonstrations and further police attacks. For over a month students protested and battled police. In mid-April, massive numbers of students from the University of Korea at Seoul began a major uprising against the government; the students set fire to police buildings, ransacked the residences of prominent politicians, and filled city streets with angry crowds. Their goal: to remove all unpopular officials, including Syngman Rhee, from government positions. The stu-- dents would not be deterred, resisting all efforts by Seoul police to dis-- perse them, and while students and police struggled for the upper hand in the streets, the city's general population supported what was looking more and more like a national rebellion.
