Abstract
This chapter analyses ancient and recent History of Tibet to interpret the Tibetan crisis in 1950. The Chinese invasion of Tibet and the implications are outlined to shed light on the appropriate designation of the crisis. The questions are posed: are the mass killings in Tibet during this period constitute genocide, ethnocide, or a cultural genocide? Alternatively, to what extent could the catastrophe be attributed to the political food crisis during the Great Leap Forward?
Keywords:
China, Dalai Lama, Chinese interests, food crisis, Great Leap Forward, China international relations, China military, Tibet, Tibetan history, Chinese history, Tang Dynasty, Cold War, United Nations Security Council, Sinicization, Chinese colonization, Mao Zedong, genocide, 1948 Genocide Convention, Dharamsala, Korean War.