1989 June 4th Beijing Tiananmen Square massacre

Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
Part of Chinese Democracy Movement in 1989, Revolutions of 1989 and the Cold War
Tiananmen Square in 1988
Date	April 15 – June 4, 1989 (1 month, 2 weeks and 6 days)
Location	400 cities nationwide    Beijing      Tiananmen Square 39°54′12″N 116°23′30″E / 39.90333°N 116.39167°E / 39.90333; 116.39167Coordinates: 39°54′12″N 116°23′30″E / 39.90333°N 116.39167°E / 39.90333; 116.39167
Caused by	Death of Hu Yaobang Economic reform Inflation Political corruption Nepotism Career prospects Social unrest in Eastern Europe
Goals	A Communist Party without corruption, democratic reforms, freedom of the press, freedom of speech
Methods	Hunger strike, sit-in, occupation of public square
Resulted in	Enforcement of martial law in certain areas of Beijing executed by force from June 3, 1989 (declared from May 20, 1989 (1989-05-20) – January 10, 1990 (1990-01-10), 7 months and 3 weeks) Protesters (mainly workers) and rioters barricading the PLA troops and nearby civilians shot by the PLA at multiple sites (excluding Tiananmen Square) in Beijing, hundreds to thousands killed, thousands wounded Uncertain reports of few and isolated deaths of protestors inside Tiananmen Square Dozens of soldiers killed by rioters on June 4 after civilians were killed on June 3 and June 4 Protest leaders and pro-democracy activists later exiled or imprisoned Some rioters charged with violent crimes were executed in the following months Zhao Ziyang was purged from General Secretary and Politburo Jiang Zemin was promoted to General Secretary and paramount leader Western economic sanctions and arms embargoes on the PRC Market reforms delayed Media control tightened Political reform halted
Parties to the civil conflict
Communist Party of China Government of China People's Liberation Army People's Armed Police Beijing Students' Autonomous Federation University students Factory workers Beijing residents Intellectuals Pro-democracy protesters Reformists
Lead figures
"hardliners" Deng Xiaoping Li Peng Yang Shangkun Yao Yilin Chen Yun Qiao Shi Li Ximing Chen Xitong Chi Haotian Liu Huaqing "moderates" Zhao Ziyang Hu Qili Yan Mingfu Bao Tong Deng Liqun Wan Li Xi Zhongxun Xu Qinxian student leaders Wang Dan Wu'erkaixi Chai Ling Shen Tong Liu Gang Feng Congde Wang Hui Li Lu intellectuals Liu Xiaobo Wang Juntao Dai Qing Hou Dejian Cui Jian Zhang Boli
Casualties
Death(s)	218 civilians; 10 PLA soldiers; 13 Peoples' Armed Police (official government figures) 180–2,600 civilians; ~50 soldiers and policemen (estimates and retracted Chinese Red Cross statement)

"hardliners"

"moderates"

student leaders

intellectuals

218 civilians; 10 PLA soldiers; 13 Peoples' Armed Police (official government figures)

The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, commonly known in China as the June Fourth Incident (六四事件), were student-led demonstrations in Beijing in 1989. More broadly, it refers to the popular national movement inspired by the Beijing protests during that period, sometimes referred to as the '89 Democracy Movement (八九民运). The protests were forcibly suppressed after the government declared martial law. In what became widely known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, troops with assault rifles and tanks killed at least several hundred demonstrators trying to block the military's advance towards Tiananmen Square. The number of civilian deaths has been estimated at anywhere from hundreds to thousands.

Set against a backdrop of rapid economic development and social changes in post-Mao China, the protests reflected anxieties about the country's future in the popular consciousness and among the political elite. The reforms of the 1980s had led to a nascent market economy which benefitted some people but seriously disaffected others; the one-party political system also faced a challenge of legitimacy. Common grievances at the time included inflation, limited preparedness of graduates for the new economy, and restrictions on political participation. The students called for democracy, greater accountability, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech, though they were loosely organized and their goals varied. At the height of the protests, about a million people assembled in the Square.

As the protests developed, the authorities veered back and forth between conciliatory and hardline tactics, exposing deep divisions within the party leadership. By May, a student-led hunger strike galvanized support for the demonstrators around the country and the protests spread to some 400 cities. Ultimately, China's paramount leader Deng Xiaoping and other party elders believed the protests to be a political threat, and resolved to use force. Party authorities declared martial law on May 20, and mobilized as many as 300,000 troops to Beijing.