Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

See the Conversations with History Blog See a webcast of this interview: Wei

This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.

Archival images are courtesy of Wei Jingsheng.

Welcome to a Conversation with History. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Our distinguished guest is human rights activist Wei Jingsheng.

1. Background ... Influence of parents ... teachers ... influential books ... on writing ... days as a Red Guard ... the example of other revolutions
2. Political Activism ... democracy movement ... Wei's contribution ... the idea of democracy ... courage ... the individual and history ... the failure of communism ... characteristics of a good leader
3. Political Prisoner ... character ... strategies for survival ... writing
4. China and the Future of Democracy ... inevitability ... influence of external powers ... the U.S. role ... what China fears most
5. Conclusion ... message to the Chinese people ... message to students

Abbi Kaplan served as translator for this interview, which was conducted in English and Mandarin.

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Photo by Jane Scherr. Site questions: Email iis_webmgr at berkeley.edu.