1 gen 1989 anni - Tiananmen Square Massacre

Descrizione:

Year: 1989
Country: China
Political/Government System: Communist Dictatorship – President Yang Shangkun
Method of Protest: Protest, march
Also known as the Tiananmen Square massacre, the Tiananmen Square protests were led by student protesters calling for democracy and free press and speech.
The initially peaceful protest soon turned violent when the Chinese government involved the military including over 250,000 troops. On the 4th of June, these troops open fired on the protestors. Although, exact numbers of dead were never recorded, it is estimated that thousands of protesters were killed by the Chinese military and about 10,000 were arrested.
Images and footage of the violence created by the Chinese Government caused international leaders to impose economic sanctions against China as they had committed human rights violations.
The Tiananmen Square massacre shows us how the progression of weaponry can change a peaceful protest into a massacre.

Image 1- Primary Source – Photograph of the Tiananmen Square tank man
Image 2- Primary Source – Photograph of members of the Tiananmen Square protest