Pro-democracy protests were on the rise. On an international level, communist parties feared that it was to lose its popularity. Students gathered in Tiananmen Square to share their grievances over inflation, limited career prospects for and corruption of the CPC. The protesters were advocating for political and economical reform as well as freedom of the press. The protest actually began in April of 89 after the passing of a respected governmental official, Communist Party General Secretary Hu Yaobang. It was violently broken up by government forces; the military had remained uninvolved until the gathering of June the 4th.
"Tank man" - BBC News
This act brutality led to mass criticism around the world. During the government's attempts to subdue the protesters, thousands were killed, with estimates ranging from 1,000 to 4,000 people were murdered during the demonstration. The events at Tiananmen shocked and horrified much of the world, and proved to be a major turning point in Chinese history.
What happened in Tiananmen Square pulls on my heart in many ways. There were families that lost these young individuals. They lost their loved ones to a search of power and control. The protesters were asking for their rights to be upheld. Rights that others and myself forget to appreciate. This massacre is the most horrifying and brutal censor put on the Chinese population.
The government did not want the issues being voiced by these students to turn into a public debate. They saw this as a threat to their power and tried to cover it up, censor their voices and purposes.
The gathering on June 4th 1989 - Facts and details.com
Unfortunately, the censor doesn’t stop there. The stories of those protesters go by unknown in China. All traces of this massacre do not appear on any search engine and is never discussed openly. The CPC was put in the hot seat immediately after this event and never wanted to have to remind its people of the human rights violation they performed in order to censor materials working against them.
This is why I made this blog. Increasing honesty and freedom of speech in my opinion is admirable; especially when you take a step back and consider your own mistakes.
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