The Tiananmen Square Protests
On April 15, 1989, Hu Yaobang, the former secretary of the People's Republic of China, died of a heart attack. The death
of Hu Yaobang, a popular advocate for reform, inspired around 50,000 students to protest at Tiananmen Square. Their intent was to disobey government orders and stay overnight in honor of Hu Yaobang’s funeral. By April 27th, the number of students gathered in the square had grown to around 150,000 and their mourning turned to protesting against the communist government and their lack of rights and freedoms. After three weeks the students came to realize the protest was being censored by the Chinese government and their voices were not being heard, which was further proof of the government's limitations of their rights and freedoms. This realization caused them to protest even harder against the government and the number of protesters continued to grow.
of Hu Yaobang, a popular advocate for reform, inspired around 50,000 students to protest at Tiananmen Square. Their intent was to disobey government orders and stay overnight in honor of Hu Yaobang’s funeral. By April 27th, the number of students gathered in the square had grown to around 150,000 and their mourning turned to protesting against the communist government and their lack of rights and freedoms. After three weeks the students came to realize the protest was being censored by the Chinese government and their voices were not being heard, which was further proof of the government's limitations of their rights and freedoms. This realization caused them to protest even harder against the government and the number of protesters continued to grow.
By May 13th, several hundred students went on a hunger strike to demand talks with the government that could be viewed on television. Four days later, a shocking total of one million people walked through the streets of Beijing to support the hunger strike. This massive participation caused disruption and unrest throughout the entire city of Beijing. These events escalated into government intervention and declaration of Martial Law on June 3, 1989. Sadly,
on June 4, 1989, the Chinese military forced their way into Tiananmen Square and killed massive amounts of citizens protesting for their rights. This deadly event is now referred to as the "Tiananmen Square Massacre."
on June 4, 1989, the Chinese military forced their way into Tiananmen Square and killed massive amounts of citizens protesting for their rights. This deadly event is now referred to as the "Tiananmen Square Massacre."