The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989

It’s the late 1980s, in China. Over the last decade, the economy has grown faster than ever before. This has brought prosperity to some citizens. But at the same time, prices are rising rapidly – there is high inflation – making life hard for others. Many people in China’s cities, especially university students, are angry with the way the Chinese Communist Party is running the economy.

Many also want a change towards more free speech and greater democracy in the country. Some people begin protesting. One politician encouraging economic and democratic changes is Hu Yaobang. Other politicians dislike Hu’s ideas, and blame him for stoking the frustrations among students. In 1987, Hu is forced to resign.

A few years later, he dies of a heart attack. 22 April 1989. It is the day of Hu’s funeral. Tens of thousands of students gather in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. They are there not only to mourn Hu’s death, but also to demand the kinds of changes he supported.

Over the next few weeks, crowds of students continue to meet in the Square. They are joined by others who want economic and political change. The government issues stern warnings against the protests, but this does not stop people attending. In fact, similar demonstrations spring up in cities across China. Officials in the Chinese government disagree over what to do about the protests.

Some say the government should negotiate with the demonstrators and find ways to meet their demands. But they are overruled by leader Deng Xiaoping. Deng fears China will descend into complete disorder – anarchy. Towards the end of May, he puts Beijing under special emergency rules, called martial law. Soldiers are stationed around the city.

They attempt to reach Tiananmen Square but Beijing citizens crowd into the streets and block their way. Large numbers of protestors remain in Tiananmen Square. Many Western journalists are there too, reporting events to the world. By the beginning of June, the Chinese government is ready to act again. On the night of June 3-4, tanks and heavily armed troops make their way toward Tiananmen Square.

This time, they open fire on, or crush, those who try to block their way. Once the soldiers reach the Square, many demonstrators leave. Those remaining in the area are shot at without warning. The military also moves in against protestors in other Chinese cities. By June 5, Tiananmen Square is cleared of protestors.

But during that day, a lone protester stands in the path of a line of tanks near the Square. He is photographed by a British journalist. The powerful image circulates widely outside China. The Chinese government’s violent actions shock other countries around the world. Many people criticise the communist Chinese government, and with it, communism more broadly.

In the remaining months of 1989, pro-democracy movements grow in Soviet-controlled communist countries in Eastern Europe. They bring a rapid end to decades of communist rule there. In China, meanwhile, anyone associated with the protests faces arrest, imprisonment, or execution. In the years since the incident, the Chinese government has been quick to crack down on any challenges to the Communist Party or demands for increased democracy. The events of June 4 are not found in any history books in China, nor available to read about online.

Information about what really happened is censored in the country. The number of people killed during the protests is still unknown.