You are on page 1of 12

1989: Massacre in

Tiananmen Square
Done by :
Justin Neo
Kevin
Marcus
Bach:

Iconic images of Tiananmen Square


Why did it break out?

The death of Hu Yaobang


• Hu Yaobang was a leader of the
People's Republic of China.
• He was a leading reformist, who has
a pro-market and pro-democracy
stand
• He was forced to resign due to his
ideology
Student’s reaction
• Students at Beijing University put up
posters praising Hu that indirectly
criticize the opponents who forced
his resignation
• They protest against the
government's authoritarianism and
voiced calls for economic change
History of Tiananmen Square
protests
• Several hundred civilians
have been shot dead by
the Chinese army during a
bloody military operation
to crush a democratic
protest in Peking's
(Beijing) Tiananmen
Square.
Sequence of events that
took place
• Demonstrators, mainly
students, had occupied the
square for seven weeks,
refusing to move until their
demands for democratic
reform were met.

• On April 17th, thousands of


students march in Beijing
and Shanghai shouting "long
live Hu Yaobang, long live
democracy, long live
freedom, long live the rule of
law."
• April 18
2,000 students from Beijing bicycle into
Tiananmen Square and protest before the Great
Hall of the People. Included in their demands
for democratic reforms is the repudiation of
official campaigns against freedom of the
press.

• April 22
Students defy police orders to leave the square,
while riots break out in the provincial capitals of
Xian and Changsha. Official memorial

Today’s great hall of the


people
Police supporting students

• April 23
Beijing students announce a
boycott of university classes

• April 24
Tens of thousands of students
at Beijing universities go on
strike, demanding a dialogue
with the government.
• April 27
Bolstered by broad-based support,
more than 150,000 students surge past
police lines and fill Tiananmen Square,
chanting slogans for democracy and
freedom.

• April 29
Government officials meet with student
leaders, but independent student
groups say they will continue a class
boycott at 41 university campuses in
• May 4
100,000 students and
supporters march on
Tiananmen square to
celebrate the 70th
anniversary of China's first
student movement, while
similar demonstrations are
held in Shanghai, Nanjing
and other cities. 300
journalists protest outside
• 3rd June
Tanks rumbled through the capital's
streets as the army moved into the
square from several directions,
randomly firing on unarmed
protesters.
International Reaction
• US President George Bush
said he deeply deplored the
use of force
• UK Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher said she was
"shocked and appalled by
the shootings".
• But even though violence
was expected, the ferocity
of the attack took many by
surprise, bringing
All information is gathered from
these sources:

• http://
www.international.ucla.edu/article.asp?pa
• http://
www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/china/timeline
• http://
www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9
• http://www.economicexpert.com/a/Ti
ananmen:Square:protests:of:1989.ht

You might also like