Tiananmen Square Massacre
On the nights of June 3-4, 1989, it can be accurately stated that there was a bloody, ugly incident in the streets of Beijing in which many people lost their lives. The facts of this incident, however, are greatly disputed and questioned. Differing reports from students, citizens, journalists, and the government create a muddled, confusing story that is clearly representative of bias. By examining eyewitness reports and video and sound footage, one can try to determine which reports are factual and which reports are products of emotion and partiality. In doing this we can piece together the most likely series of events. In this report I rely heavily on the statements of foreign journalists and intellectuals as well as the students involved who I have determined to be a reliable source. While I consider the statements of students who I have determined to be more biased and also in a very small way the government, I do not accept any of their statements not backed up by other witnesses. During the two weeks of martial law enacted on May 20 there existed a tense stand-off between the Government and the people of Beijing. With the regular citizens or laobaixing aiding the stude
This was the first actual death that resulted from a confrontation with PLA soldiers. For days, the nonviolent nature of the student led protests failed to provide military commanders any solid reasons to use lethal force. They reported that the jeep had actually been loaned to CCTV and was being driven by a CCTV employee at the time of the accident, a claim CCTV later issued a statement confirming. This event was a catalyst for further action by the citizens. The reaction of the people watching was of horror. These were mostly a product of the decade-long economic reforms, which, though broadly popular, had also generated a range of serious social tensions: sharp income polarization, spiraling commodity prices, an acute shortage of acceptable housing and-last but by no means least-rampant corruption, speculation and profiteering by government and party officials. An army truck was found deserted at a roadblock a few miles from the square loaded with firearms and ammunition. At the same time troops entering from the East also encountered resistance and opened fire, but not as heavy as in the West. With the formation of the Beijing Workers' autonomous Federation a few days after the imposition of martial law, the workers challenged the ban on workers unions that had been in affect since 1949. They had felt the effects of the government corruption and inefficient leadership more than any. However, one theory of the event put forth by Yi Mu and Mark Thompson in Crisis at Tiananmen was that it may not have been an accident at all: It is not impossible that the military was using exactly the same strategy by taking the strong reactions from the people as an excuse to launch a brutal crackdown. In the government's eyes, if the statue of the Goddess of Democracy, erected in the square at the end of May, represented the arrogant defiance of the students and the symbolic intrusion of Western ideals into the heart of Communist rule, the crude red-and-black banner of the Beijing Workers' Autonomous Federation, not a hundred yards away from the goddess, represented the terrifying power of the workers awakened. Several people were killed by troops in this confrontation. But according to Hou Deijian, all the tents had been checked and there was no way anyone would have stayed in bed for the climax of the movement.
Common topics in this essay:
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Students China,
Tiananmen Square,
Confusing Truth,
Hou Deijian,
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hou deijian,
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workers' autonomous federation,
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