TheTiananmenSquare Protest&Massacure
By:DaeganC.
By:DaeganC.
OverviewOfTheEvents
TheTiananmenSquareprotestswere student-ledprotestswiththegoalbeingfor theretobemorefreedomofspeechandless silencingofthepressinChina.Duringthe protesttheyquicklybuiltupmoremembers, somenotevenbeingstudentsandhitovera millionpeopleleadingtotheChinese governmentbeingverydividedonhowto dealwiththissituation.Ultimatelythe ChinesegovernmentsentChina'smilitaryto suppressanddealwiththeprotestersinwhat isnowknownastheTiananmenSquare massacre.AftertheseeventstheChinese governmentheavilycensoredthediscussion ofitinanywaytheycould.Anywherethat mentionedtheeventsoftheTiananmen Squareprotest/massacrewasdeletedand erased,thereforeleadingittobeprettymuch fadedfromChina'shistory.Weshouldstudy theTiananmenSquareprotesttoshowhow governmentsuppressioncanleadtoevents likethesebeingremovedanderasedfrom history.Asstudents,wecanlearnfromwhat theydidandhowwecanimprovetoavoid eventsthattranspiredafter.
Anenduringissueisthedesireforpower, withthegovernmentwantingtomaintain powerandstrengththeyhaveoverpeople. DuringeventssuchastheColdWar, countriesliketheUSSRwouldsuppresstheir people'sfreedomofspeechandcensormedia thatdidnotagreewiththegovernment's ideas.Thiswasverymuchaliketowhat China'sgovernmentwasdoingbeforeand aftertheeventsoftheTiananmenSquare protests.TheChinesegovernmentwould censormediapoststhatdidnotalignwiththe government'sideals.Muchlikehowthe SovietUnionwouldcensorwesternmedia duringtheColdWar.
BuildUpToTheMassacre
TheprotestsweretheproductoflongbuildingresentmentaboutChina's restrictionsonpoliticalfreedom.AlthoughtheChinesegovernment implementedaseriesofreformsinthe1980sthathelpedthenationdevelop alimitedversionofcapitalism,thepoorandworking-classChinese continuedtoconfrontsubstantialdifficulties,suchasalackofemployment opportunitiesandrisingpoverty.Additionally,thestudentsclaimedthat China'seducationalsystemhadnoteffectivelyequippedthemforlivingina free-market,globallyintegratedeconomy.TheChineseauthoritiesgot increasinglyuneasywiththeprotestsasthemovementexpanded.OnMay 20,afterdecidingthattheprotestsneededtobesubdued,theChinese governmentproclaimedmartiallawand25,000troopsenteredBeijing.This wasthebeginningoftheendfortheTiananmenSquareprotests.
ProminentFigures
TankMan
Thepictureaboveis almostcertainlyoneofthemostwell-knownimages fromthisevent;evenpeoplewhoareunawareoftheeventsofthatdayhave seenthispictureofamanstoppingagroupoftanksfromadvancingthrough TiananmenSquare.TankManwasoneofseveralprotestersatthetime,and thatisprettymuchallweknowaboutthemeventothisday.Whatwedo knowforcertainisthathebecameasymboloftheprotestersdefiance towardstheChinesegovernments.Shortlyafterthetankswerestopped,two menforciblypulledTankManfromhispositionandhauledhimaway,and thetankscontinuedontheirroute.Tothisdayhisidentityremainsunknown buthislegendcarrieson.
AftermathOfTheEvents
Althoughthousandsofdemonstratorsjusttriedtoflee,someretaliatedby stoningtheattackingtroopsandtorchingmilitaryvehicles.Itisclaimedthat hundredstothousandsofprotesterswerekilledandupto10,000were detainedduringtheTiananmenSquareMassacre.Globalleaders,including Gorbachev,denouncedthemilitaryaction,andlessthanamonthlater,the USCongressdecidedtoimposesanctionsagainstChinaduetoclaimed humanrightsbreaches.Inthelongtermthough,Chinafacedlittle consequencesfromthisandinsomewaysareseenasifhavegottenaway withit.
HowItLooksToday
ThedemonstrationsandmassacrethattookplaceinTiananmenSquareon June4and5arestillbeingfelttoday.YuDongyue,ajournalistdetainedfor coveringapaintingofMaoZedongwithpaintduringtheprotestsin TiananmenSquare,wasn'tfreedfromjailuntil2006.TheChinese governmentbannedjournalistsfromenteringTiananmenSquareonthe20th anniversaryofthetragedyandpreventedaccesstointernationalnews websitesandsocialmedia.TheTiananmenSquareeventsof1989havealso beenheavilysuppressedonChina'stightlyregulatedinternet.Astudy conductedin2019bytheUniversitiesofTorontoandHongKongfoundthat over3,200wordsmentioningthemassacrehadbeeneditedoutofhistory.
WorkCited
Hernandez,JavierC.“30YearsafterTiananmen,“TankMan”RemainsanIconandaMystery.” The New York Times,3June2019,www.nytimes.com/2019/06/03/world/asia/tiananmen-tank-man.html.
“TiananmenSquareProtests:1989,Massacre&TankMan-HISTORY.” History.com, www.history.com/topics/asian-history/tiananmen-square.
OfficeoftheHistorian.“Milestones:1989–1992-OfficeoftheHistorian.” State.gov,2019, history.state.gov/milestones/1989-1992/tiananmen-square.
BBCNews.“TiananmenSquare:WhatHappenedintheProtestsof1989?” BBC News,23Dec.2021, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48445934.
Smith,Whitney.“FlagofChina.” Encyclopædia Britannica,13Nov.2018, www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-China.
Hartman,Leigh.“InChina,YouCan’tSayTheseWords.” ShareAmerica,3June2020, share.america.gov/in-china-you-cant-say-these-words/.
SourceAnalysis
TheOfficeoftheHistorianwasoneofthekeysourcesIusedtocreatethis zine.TheOfficeoftheHistorianhasalegalresponsibilitytoprepareand publishtheofficialdocumentaryhistoryofUSforeignpolicyintheForeign RelationsoftheUnitedStatesseries.Alongwiththatbecauseofthembeing partoftheUnitedStatesfederalgovernmentitwouldbereasonableto presumethattheremaybealittlebiastowardtheUnitedStatesbutonthe contrary,becausetheyareanexecutivebranchoftheUnitedStatesfederal governmentandthepeoplewhodealwithforeignaffairsonthebehalfofthe UnitedStates,itisexpectedofthemtowriteunbiasedrecordofevents. AnothersourcethatIfoundthatsupportsthestatementscontainedinthis documentisthefollowingarticleontheBBCwebsite.Bothofthesearticles appeartosupporteachother'stimeline.Alongwiththat,onepointmadeby theDepartmentofStatethatmightbeinterpretedasbiasisthattheChinese governmentlyingaboutthedeathtoll,whichiscorroboratedintheBritish BroadcastingCorporationreportbysharingaremarkfromtheBritish AmbassadortoChina.Inconclusion,Ibelievethisisareliablesourcefor creatingthiszineabouttheTiananmenSquareprotestsandmassacre.
Dedication
Thiszineisbeingdedicatedtothe studentsandcitizensofChinawhohave tostilldealwiththeissuesthatthosewho diedintheprotestwerefightingagainst. ThingssuchastheChinesefirewallwhich censorseventsliketheoneIwentoverin thiszine,effectivelyerasingtheirhistory. TothosewhodiedtryingtomakeChina morefree,youarenotforgotten.