Tiananmen Square Massacre - Essay Example

Tiananmen Square Massacre On June 4th, six weeks of protests ended when Chinese troops and security police began firing openly into the crowds of protesters. This event would become known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre. On April 15 of 1989, Hu Yaobang, former Communist party chief and a leading reformist, died of a heart attack. He was a popular figure among anti-communist citizens and his death was a catalyst for the protests leading up to and culminating in the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Mourners begin to gather in Tiananmen Square to express their sadness and protest the slow pace of reform in China. (History.com, 2009) In the following days, numbers of protester in Beijing grow into thousands, and demonstrations begin appearing in cities and universities nationwide. Students and workers protest for greater freedom and democracy and an end to what they called dictatorship. Protesters complain about inflation, salaries, and housing issues. Tens of thousands of students gather outside the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square on April 22nd as Hu Yaobang’s memorial service is held in spite of the city government's previous warning that they would risk severe punishment. The Great Hall of the People is where the National People's Congress is held and where store leaders conduct political activities. On April 21, the protesters carry a petition demanding to meet with China's premier, Li Deng, to the Great Hall of the People, but their demands were not met. On April 26th the state-run newspaper, the People's Daily, publishes a piece entitled “The Necessity for a Clear Stand Against Turmoil”, accusing the protesters of rejecting the Communist Party. The article was essentially a restatement of China’s unofficial leader Deng Xiaoping's views, which further angered the public. Just over a week later, protests break out in cities across China, fighting for democracy, making the biggest pro-Democracy protest since the Communists came to power. Some people like Zhao Ziyang, the official head of the Communist party, think that the protests are not that serious and would just simply go away. To help draw attention to their cause, hundreds of students go on a hunger strike in Tiananmen Square. The government's failure to respond to this brings a lot of attention and coverage from the media which subsequently draws a lot of public support. Mikhail Gorbachev, the leader of Communist Russia, arrives in Beijing on May 15th. He planned to resolve the tensions between Communist China and Russia.  The authorities planned to welcome him in Tiananmen Square, but the protests forced the government to cancel said plans. Beginning to realize the true seriousness of these protests, on May 19 Zhao Ziyang, along with two other communist leaders, visits students in Tiananmen Square to make a final appeal for compromise, but it was ultimately unsuccessful. Martial law is declared in several districts in Beijing and troops move towards the Tiananmen Square. They had been ordered to use nonviolence. Civilians block their convoys by setting up barricades on the streets. The demonstrators remain nonviolent even with the threat of their government's military. At this time, the government begins to contemplate whether or not to use force on the protesters. (Boundless, 2017) On June 2nd, Communist Party leaders approve the decision to use violence against the pro-Democracy protesters. The next day, thousands of soldiers sent by the government begin to move towards Tiananmen Square. People try to keep them from reaching the protesters by setting up barricades and blockades along the streets of Beijing. In an effort to break through the blockades, some troops began to open fire on crowds of Chinese civilians, killing and injuring many. After this tragic incident, Tiananmen Square is cleared out for the rest of the night. As news of this spreads across Beijing, the citizens are left in shock. The next day thousands of furious people crowd up blocking the north-east entrance from the soldiers. The soldiers opened fire on the crowds again. They continue on, shooting at and killing civilians, all throughout the day. Despite the horrendous nature of this event, the government saw this as a great victory. Even still the authorities claim no-one was shot dead in the square itself. There is still debate about exactly how many people were killed. Some say a few hundred, others say a few thousand. (Gordan, 2012) On the morning of June 5, as Army troops forcibly cleared demonstrators from the square, “Tank Man” confronted a column of tanks and stopped. The tank drivers were unwilling to run him over and tried to go around him. The “dance,” where the protester mirrored each attempted maneuver to block the line of tanks, lasted several minutes. At one-point Tank Man actually got up on the lead tank and conversed with someone inside. No one knows what was said. When he got down, two men in blue shirts came out of the nearby crowd and whisked him away. The tanks went on their way. Whether the protester was arrested or executed is unknown. The identity of “Tank Man” is unknown and has been since 1989.  (Saul, 2014) China's leader Deng Xiaoping appears to give a speech to military officers he praises their efforts, and blames the turmoil on counter-revolutionaries who wanted nothing less than to overthrow Communism. Estimates for the number killed in Beijing vary from several hundred to more than 1,000. China’s government has never released a definitive death toll. China’s government has censored public discussion keeping a surprising amount of young people entirely ignorant of the event. Public commemorations are also strictly banned, though some Chinese activists hold private memorials. Hu Yaobang said in November 1983 “The use of violence against students is not a beneficial thing to do since they are the hope and the future of China”. (Encyclopedia, 2017) Citation List: Staff, History.com. "Tiananmen Square Massacre Takes Place." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 30 May 2017. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tiananmen-square-massacre-takes-place Chiu, Lisa. "What Caused the Tiananmen Square Protests?" ThoughtCo. ThoughtCo, 27 Feb. 2017. Web. 30 May 2017. . Encyclopaedia Editors. "Hu Yaobang." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2017. Web. 30 May 2017. . Boundless -. "Deng Xiaoping and the Economic Reform." Boundless. Boundless, 26 Jan. 2017. Web. 30 May 2017. . Saul, Heather. "Tiananmen Square: What Happened to Tank Man?" The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 04 June 2014. Web. 30 May 2017. . The Gate of Heavenly Peace. Dir. Richard Gordan and Carma Hinton. 1989. Tiananmen Square 1989 Protests Documentary. Youtube.com, 12 Apr. 2012. Web. 15 May 2017. . Read More