May 4th and June 4th compared: A sociological study of Chinese social movements

There has been much talk about a link between the May 4th and June 4th Movements, but there is rarely a systematic study of it. This paper compares and contrasts the two movements in terms of structural conduciveness, the achievability of goals, organizational effectiveness, and the independent nature of social movements. It demonstrates that these four variables work in concert to determine the success or failure of any such movement. The Hundred Flowers Movement is examined to substantiate this theoretical hypothesis. In the end, I discuss the legacies of these intellectual movements and offer a few comments on the future of the Chinese democracy movement. Historical and comparative methods are used in the analysis. It is hoped that an exploration of the genesis and direction of these movements will help us understand how Chinese social movements have effected and will continue to effect social change in China.