The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China invaded Tibet in October 1950, defeated the Tibetan troops, and took control of the border town of Chamdo. The Seventeen Point Agreement, which authorized the presence of the PLA and the Central People’s Government’s control in Tibet, was forced onto Tibet the next year. A group of Tibetans revolted five years later, sparking a conflict that would endure until 1973.
The Dalai Lama celebrated his 75th birthday in Dharamshala in 2010. | Photo Credit: PTI
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China invaded Tibet in October 1950, defeated the Tibetan troops, and took control of the border town of Chamdo. The Seventeen Point Agreement, which authorized the presence of the PLA and the Central People’s Government’s control in Tibet, was forced onto Tibet the next year. A group of Tibetans revolted five years later, sparking a conflict that would endure until 1973.
Because it conflicted with the Dalai Lama’s promotion of non-violence, the history of the Tibetan military struggle against Chinese control from 1957 to 1973 has been mostly repressed. However, it was a significant movement that saw Tibetans develop their military skills and fight the Chinese invasion, assisting the Dalai Lama in making a successful escape from Tibet to India in 1959. The US, which had its own motivations for supporting the Tibetan cause, was an odd partner for Tibet in the conflict. The US was keen to find any means of halting communist China’s growing power during these Cold War years, and the Tibetans’ animosity used to its benefit. The resistance was unsuccessful and eventually forgotten when the US unexpectedly withdrew its backing for the cause in the 1970s.
