The protesters were also beset by factionalism. One issue the government had was that it didn't have a reliable partner in negotiations: different student groups had a diverse range of goals, from anti-corruption measures, to more socialism, to more capitalism, to freedom of speech, to democracy, to better housing standards, to lower tuition. And there was a constant tension between moderate and hardline student groups.

Imagine if Occupy Wall Street was 100,000 strong and had occupied Times Square, and the city of New York was trying to negotiate with them to meet their demands.