Despite the dozens of independence and autonomy movements currently active worldwide, one captures the attention of the west like no other, Tibet. Tibet has been part of China for centuries, though it had in the past attained various degrees of autonomy and even de facto independence. Following Mao’s victory in the Chinese Civil War, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) set about reclaiming what they saw as Chinese territory that had been lost due to the & century of humiliation’ and the Chinese Empire imploding, including Tibet. In 1950, after a brief military skirmish, Tibet was placed under what was effectively occupation, though Tibet’s elite were still allowed to rule in some areas. During this period there were simmering tensions, sporadically erupting into violence, which in 1959 amid rumours that the PRC were planning on kidnapping the Dalai -ama, cumulated into mass popular unrest and rebellion. This was crushed by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), leading to tens of thousands of deaths, and the Dalai -ama fled to India. In exile, the Dalai -ama has formed an alternate government and champions the Tibetan cause, promoting the idea of full Tibetan autonomy, but remaining part of the PRC.[Source]