Tiananmen Square protests of 1989

The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 were a series of student-led, pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing, China, that ended in a violent military suppression on June 3–4, 1989.

The movement began in mid-April following the death of Hu Yaobang, a former leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who had been ousted by party hardliners for being too lenient on student unrest and advocating for political liberalization. 

University students gathered in Tiananmen Square to mourn him, but the gathering quickly transformed into a broader political movement.  At their peak, demonstrations in Beijing drew an estimated one million people,

The protestors called for:

  • An end to government corruption and nepotism
  •  Freedom of speech, assembly, and the press
  •  Democratic political reforms and economic stability

 On the night of June 3 and the early morning hours of June 4, the Chinese military (the People's Liberation Army) was ordered to clear the square by force.  Troops equipped with assault rifles and tanks advanced from multiple directions toward Tiananmen Square. While some students peacefully evacuated the square, heavy fighting and indiscriminate firing occurred along the major avenues leading to the square as unarmed civilians tried to block the army's advance.

The Chinese government claimed that roughly 200 civilians (including 36 students) and several dozen security personnel died.  Student leaders, witnesses, and foreign journalists estimated the death toll to be anywhere from hundreds to several thousand.

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