![]() ![]() Zhao Ziyang, in a speech to foreign bankers, expresses support for the students’ “patriotism” and essentially contradicts the government’s April 26 editorial. They pledge to return to classes the next day but intend to keep pressing for reforms. ![]() May 4 Tens of thousands of students march into Tiananmen Square to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the 1919 “May Fourth Movement,” which also took place in the square. (Photo by Peter Turnley/Corbis/Getty Images) They were asking for greater freedom of speech and democracy. Li Peng and his allies argue that social stability must be restored before any reforms can be considered.Ī sea of student protesters gathers in Tiananmen Square on May 4, 1989. Zhao Ziyang’s camp advocates negotiation and stresses the government should address legitimate complaints, such as the need for political reform. The Chinese navy was demonstrating, and I thought, ‘This is extraordinary because who’s left? It’s just the top leaders who aren’t out there.'”Īpril 29–May 3 Party leaders are aware of the growing foreign press coverage of the demonstrations, but remain split over how to stop the protests and get the students to return to classes. “You had doctors and nurses and scientists and army people demonstrating. “In Beijing one in 10 of the population was joining in … all of the old people, all the little children, so it was massive,” explains Jan Wong, a foreign journalist in Beijing at the time. In Tiananmen Square the ranks of protestors now include a cross-section of society. “… Its real aim is to reject the Chinese Communist Party and the socialist system at the most fundamental level.”Īpril 27 The editorial sets off more demonstrations in other cities. “This is a well-planned plot … to confuse the people and throw the country into turmoil,” it reads. This editorial closely follows the opinions expressed by Deng at the meeting the day before. … We’ve got to be explicit and clear in opposing this turmoil.”Īpril 26“The Necessity for a Clear Stand Against Turmoil,” (read the full translation) appears in the state-run newspaper, the People’s Daily. “We must explain to the whole Party and nation that we are facing a most serious political struggle. Deng decides the Party has thus far been “tolerant and restrained,” but the time has come for action. They convince Party elder Deng Xiaoping, the de facto head of state, that the students aim to overthrow him and the Communist Party. Over the next days, the students boycott classes and organize into unofficial student unions - an illegal act in China.Īpril 25 With Zhao Ziyang on a state visit to North Korea, Li Peng calls a meeting of the Politburo, a meeting dominated by Party members antagonistic to the students. Three students carry a petition of demands up the steps of the Great Hall and insist on meeting Li Peng he does not respond. Li argues that the protests should be “nipped in the bud ” however, Zhao convinces them to wait, stating, “Our main task right now is to be sure the memorial service for Comrade Yaobang goes off smoothly.”Īpril 22 More than 100,000 university students assemble outside the Great Hall of the People, where Hu’s memorial service is being held. A minority faction, led by Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, believes that “the student mainstream is good” and that their patriotism should be affirmed, “although any inappropriate methods of action should be pointed out to them.” One group, lead by Premier Li Peng, second-ranking in the Party hierarchy, suspects “black hands” of “bourgeois liberal elements” are working behind the scenes to undermine the government. Party leaders fear the demonstrations might lead to chaos and rebellion. ![]() Workers and officials join in with complaints about inflation, salaries and housing. In his name, the students call for press freedom and other reforms.Īpril 18–21 Demonstrations escalate in Beijing and spread to other cities and universities. Hu had been a symbol to them of anti-corruption and political reform. They come to mourn the death of Hu Yoabang, former General Secretary of the Communist Party. Throughout these weeks, China’s top leaders were deeply divided over how to handle the unrest, with one faction advocating peaceful negotiation and another demanding a crackdown.ĪpTens of thousands of university students begin gathering spontaneously in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, the nation’s symbolic central space. ![]() The following timeline tracks how the protests began in April among university students in Beijing, spread across the nation, and ended on June 4 with a final deadly assault by an estimated force of 300,000 soldiers from People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The spring of 1989 saw the largest pro-democracy demonstration in the history of China’s communist regime. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |