Tiananmen Square Protests & Massacre Flashback

The Tiananmen Square protests were student-led demonstrations that occurred in Beijing in 1989. The protests were a response to anxieties about China's future amid rapid economic development and social change in post-Mao China. Although the protesters had varying goals, they called for greater accountability, democracy, and freedom of speech. The authorities responded with both conciliatory and hardline tactics, leading to a crackdown in June that resulted in the deaths of several hundred to several thousand protesters. The reaction to the protests set limits on political expression in China that continue to have significant political and social ramifications.