Tiananmen Square Massacre

The Tiananmen Square Massacre was a peaceful student protest against the Communist Party of China that was forcibly suppressed and ended with the deaths of more than 10,000 Chinese civilians. 

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The famous "Tank Man" image, depicting a man standing in front of a line of tanks during the Massacre as an act of defiance.

Beginning

In 1986, astrophysicist professor Fang Lizhi began calling for democratic reforms in Post-Mao China, going around universities preaching his ideas. His ideas soon spread across China, which alarmed the CCP.

General Secretary Hu Yaobang was blamed for the pro-democratic movements, and he was forced to resign. Soon after, he suffered a fatal heart attack, and many students began using his death as a reason to protest.

Students began rallying in many cities like Beijing, calling for a freer China. The movement soon gained traction, reaching its boiling point in 1989.

Massacre

During late May and early June, students began a mass rally in Tiananmen Square - the biggest gathering since the movement began. The Chinese Government announced that the protests were a threat to the nation and Chinese Premier Li Peng declared martial law. Then, Deng Xiaoping, who was the paramount leader at the time, ordered the military to intervene violently.

Originally, the personnel in Beijing refused to follow the order, as they knew many people who were among the protesters and didn't want to endanger them. Because of this, the CCP was forced to gather troops from rural areas to follow their orders, as they did not have any personal connection with the protesters.

On June 3^rd, at 10 PM, the military began encircling the protests and shot any citizens who were in their way. Some protesters revolted, battling the military with stones and Molotov cocktails, which only led to more death. Tanks ran over whole lines of students, killing many in a span of a few seconds. Any ambulances attempting to save the lives of students were shot down on sight.

On June 4^th, at 4 AM, an announcement over the Square declared that the students would be able to evacuate the area. However, less than five minutes later, the soldiers resumed firing. 

The Massacre ended the morning of June 4th, when all students were either dead or fleeing. Eyewitness accounts claim that bulldozers turned the bodies of dead students into a "pie" and hosed them down drains.

Legacy

Today, the CCP censors any and all mention of the Massacre, whether it'd be in books or on the internet. They refer to it as the June Fourth Incident, downplaying the sheer amount of depravity displayed by the government during that time.

However, Western Media uses the Massacre as a symbol against the CCP's authoritarian practices. Particularly, a leaked photo of a man standing in front of a long line of tanks rose to popularity and is now commonly associated with the Massacre. The man who remains unknown has been dubbed the Tank Man, and his fate is still in question today.

• A wider shot of the famous Tank Man Image
  A wider shot of the famous Tank Man Image
• Injured protester being rushed to a hospital
  Injured protester being rushed to a hospital
• Remains of dead students
  Remains of dead students
• Trail of blood left behind after a tank presumably ran over some protesters.
  Trail of blood left behind after a tank presumably ran over some protesters.
• The Massacre.
  The Massacre.