Archives of the April 19 Revolution
The Archives of the April 19 Revolution refers to an extensive collection of documentary materials about the studentinitiated, pro-democracy movement that erupted in the spring of 1960 in the Republic of Korea. The materials cover the backgrounds and developments of the revolution leading to the downfall of authoritarian President Syngman Rhee (In office 1948-1960) – from a student rally in the provincial city of Daegu on February 28 to large-scale demonstrations in Seoul on April 19 to oppose the rigging of the March 15 presidential election – as well as post-revolution, fact-finding efforts, punishments of those who were accountable and reparations for victims. The April 19 Revolution, initiated by high school students and joined by other students and adults, from 10- year-olds to those in their seventies, preceded postwar student activism, including the revolution of 1968 in Europe, the antiwar protests in the United States, and the student movement in Japan.
