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Robert Weatherley argues that Chinese perceptions of democracy and human rights have been heavily influenced by the pressing issue of how to make China strong in the face of a perceived threat posed by foreign imperialism, be it military imperialism during the previous two centuries and cultural imperialism in more recent decades.

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1. Saving the Empire: Democracy and Rights in the Late Qing Dynasty 2. Building a New China: Democracy and Rights in the Early Republican Period (1912-1928) 3. Towards Authoritarianism: Withholding Democracy for the Good of the Nation (1928-49) 4. Protecting the People´s Republic: Mass Democracy and Class Rights in the Mao and Early Post-Mao Eras 5. From Military Imperialism to Cultural Imperialism: Democracy and Rights in the Post-Mao Era

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Robert Weatherley is a Lawyer at Mills and Reeve, UK and also lectures on contemporary Chinese politics, history and international relations at the University of Cambridge, UK. He has published on topics such as the legitimation of CCP rule, the political career of Hua Guofeng and the rise of internet nationalism in China.

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