What happened in Tiananmen Square? What was the outcome? How do the Chinese feel about it today?
1 Answer
The student demonstrations were crushed by the Chinese army.
Explanation:
In 1989 there was a mass protest of students and workers demanding political reform to parallel the economic reforms introduced by the faction which prevail;ed after Mao's death.
Initially there seemed to be some degree of sympathy on the part of the Chinese leadership, but demands for democracy were seen as a serious threat by Deng Xiao Ping the Chinese leader at the time.
As a consequence he eventually sent in the Chinese army which used considerable violence to crush the demonstrations. It is estimated that thousands were killed, wounded or arrested. Some fled abroad.
It is impossible to gauge Chinese opinion today because of state control of the media. Each year such control is heightened as the anniversary approaches, indicating the continued sensitivity of the events within China.
