6 page ESSAY
Tiananmen Square
In great crowd of demonstrators, mainly students occupied the Tiananmen Square for seven weeks pushing for democratic reforms. Under the heat and pressure the Chinese government finally splintered. Communism shot back and took drastic measures to curb the protests. Tanks rumbled in to the streets of the capital, and shortly the army marched in and opened fire on unarmed civilians. This incident sparked the biggest tirade of criticism and unfathomable disbelief. The pro-democratic western states, alarmed by this atrocious act of murder scrambled to punish China. Since the Incident, Many of the western nations have placed an Arms embargo on China. The U.S. and E.U. increased their qualms and suspicions on hegemonistic rule, or Communism. Tiananmen Square brought worldwide attention to the atrocities suffered by the citizens of China. The incident marks the ultimate oppression of freedom of speech, and freedom of press, and it also indirectly expresses the intolerance and burgeoning distrust between western states governance (Democracy) and Chinas Communism.
On the 4th of June 1989, some protesters simply vanished. Hundreds of people or possibly thousands of people were killed in the massacre and the exact number may never be known. US President George H.W. Bush said he deeply abhorted the use of force, and UKs Prime Minister at the time, Margaret Thatcher, said she was "shocked and appalled by the shootings"(source 1). At the square, moved by the death of their democratic leader Yaobang, more than a million stood in the streets of Beijing, criticizing the growing corruption, and demanded the implementation of Democracy and the ideal of their party leader Hu Yaobang. After seven invigorating weeks, it all came to a halt. At the break of dawn on June 4th, as the world watched in horror, the tanks of the People's Liberation Army rolled through the crowds. Many scattered in fear and shock. It has been documented that a man confronted the tanks as they rolled in to the streets of Beijing The man stood tall against the row of tanks that have been ordered to break the protests( source 1). The man clearly had intention of dying for what he believed in. He was warned he would be rolled over by the tanks had he not moved. Thousands of unarmed, peaceful protestors were shot on sight. The man resisted and his death captured the symbolic brutality the Communist regime played in China. The democratic wall of protests crumbled one by one, as the PRCs army showed not even the slightest indication of hesitance(source2).
The world was stunned on the news that the Peoples Liberation Army started massacring the citizens of their Country. The thought of civilians being fired at had the world shocked and awe-struck. A source indicated that the students expected soldiers would be firing rubber bullets and that they had an appalling sense of disbelief when they noticed the bullets striking sparks off the pavement near his feet(source). Some 10,000 troops formed around the square, and a line of about 50 Armor Personal Carriers, tanks, and trucks entered Tiananmen from the eastern part of the city(source 2). Demonstrators shouted angrily at the presence of military at a peaceful movement for democracy, and the PLA troops in Tiananmen opened a hail of rifle and machine gun fire. Although controversial and undocumented, Embassy officials have gathered witnesses and angry citizens,
some "claiming that more than 10,000 people had been killed at Tiananmen." A woman interviewed had claimed to have witnessed a tank running over 11 people.(source 3) It was baffaling for the world to see China resort to such options to break a simple demonstration. A very scary truth is that, the deaths of this terrible incident were never officially recorded. The people of China or the world will never truly know the number of people that gave up their lives for what they believed in. After this horrendous bloodbath, it wouldnt be a surprise for the people of this world to fully lost faith in the mankinds competence to govern.
Tiananmen Square attributed for a perfect example of oppressions of basic rights. The Communist government striped basic right such as freedom of speech, freedom of press and freedom of assembly. Communist China acted so violently against freedom of assembly that it will forever be earmarked as the greatest transgression and crime especially against it own people. Media censorship of China is at the pinnacle of maximum control imposed by the government as the of 20th anniversary of Tiananmen Square last year. Chinese government has long tried to keep a tight rein on traditional and new media to prevent any challenges to its political authority. It can be safely assumed that Chinas worst nightmare would be any repeat of 1989, and thus ever since China has implemented extremely tight law on freedom of press. The most powerful monitoring body is the Communist Party's Central Propaganda Department (CPD), which coordinates with General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) to orchestrate control on radio, film and television. China has an estimated 420 million Internet users, and the country has faced some issues with major U.S. based companies such as Facebook and Google.(source 2) China recently threatened to ban Google and its services if Google did not follow accordingly to Chinese internet set guidelines which incorporate certain censorships and expurgation. China, facing a threat of undermining its sovereignty from these generally free and boundless social networks and search engines, which are Facebook and Google respectively, the government implemented state ran replicas of social network and search engines. The great fire wall of China, a highly sensitive internet framework, ensures safety inflow of traffic in and out of the country, it is to censor information potentially dangerous to China and its political authority. Tiananmen Square of 1989 has deeply altered the way things are done in China (Source 1).
Since June, 1989 The United States and other western countries recoiled in disgust after the incident, the relationship between the U.S. and China went from amicable cooperation to antagonism, distrust and misunderstanding. U.S. and China remained locked in opposition, and a recent poll indicated that Americans consider China an unfriendly country, while anti-American resentment is increasing(source 4). Together with its allies, the United States swiftly forced a sequence of diplomatic and economic sanctions against China, and halted all high-level official visits, official development assistance and export credits, and sales of military hardware.(Source 3) The level of national dialogue between China and the West has taken a direct impact. China has made itself an enemy of the west; the slaughtering of democratic supporters indirectly shows that China has no respect for the western style of governance. Chinas economy took a dire hit from dramatic slump in tourism, foreign investments, and foreign lending.
Many western states will never forgive the Chinese governments lack of respect for basic human rights. China extremely pro communist regime found itself at automatically at the opposite end of spectrum. U.S. and E.U find China as a potential future threat geopolitically, economically, and militarily. Tiananmen Square is a definite factor on why China has found itself as an enemy of the west. As China gains economic momentum, she is trying dearly to spread their success story, Communism. The small neighbors of China such as Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam are deeply afraid of Chinas imperialistic actions such as claiming foreign territory. U.S however will safeguard democracy where ever it is, thus US President H.W. Bush approved the sale of 150 F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan. Americas presence in the pacific has tightened and U.S. and her democratic allies (South Korea and Japan) perform naval drills along in the Yellow Sea. This is in the backyard of communism where the Yellow Sea touches the two communist titians China and North Korea(Source 4).
Peoples Liberation Army crushed prodemocracy supporters, killing hundreds of supporters, injuring another 10,000, and arresting hundreds of students and workers. Following the violence, the government conducted widespread arrests, summary trials, and executions; banned the foreign press; and strictly controlled the Chinese press
Media Censorship in China - Council on Foreign Relations
Tiananmen Square, 1989: The Declassified History : Documents
China's Foreign Relations After Tiananmen: Challenges for the U.S.
we got Independence BEFORE India.. and before that, Hindustan was under British Rule, and before that, it was ruled by Muslims, and before that, it was scattered into numerous smaller units.. so i'm pretty confused what you are referring to..
