Tiananmen Square Protest
(The Tiananmen Square Massacre)
By Nick Stanley
Before the Protest
Many people were angered by the death of Lu Yaobang. Lu Yaobang was a liberal reformer that was well known and liked by many citizens in China. The citizens then wanted political reform so they decided to protest in the Tiananmen Square.
The Beginning of the Protest
A series of students started the protest at Tiananmen Square. Protesters were in the square for more than a month. A papier-mache Statue of Liberty was brought to the protest. This was supposed to represent the democracy the citizens wanted. Students also preached for greater freedom of speech and freedom of press. During the height of the protest about one million people were in the square.
The Army is Called In
When local police tried the protest but failed they called in the army. The army brought in soldiers and tanks. When the tanks finally reached the square the soldiers and police started arresting people. If people tried to flee they were shot in the backs. Some protesters tried to fight back by throwing rocks at soldiers and lighting military vehicles on fire.
Tank Man: This man stood in front of chinese tanks waving a plastic bag telling them to stop. If the tanks moved right so would he. If the tanks moved left so would he. No one knows if he was a protester or random man.
http://www.iexaminer.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/1989-Tank-man.jpg
The Aftermath
- Chinese government reported 200 dead after incident
- Witnesses said they saw at least 1,000 dead
- Chinese government censors and bans discussion of protest
- Stricter restrictions put on speech
Archive: Chinese troops fire on protesters in Tiananmen Square - BBC News
Assessment question
This protest demonstrates the participants beliefs because they believe that the government should change to democracy by bring the papier mache statue of liberty. They also showed that they believed in better freedom of speech and press because that is what they protested for in TIananmen Square.