June 4

1989: The June Fourth Incident, known outside of China as the Tienanmen Square Massacre, results in the deaths of hundreds of Chinese university students.

The Tienanmen Square Protests were a series of demonstrations led by labor activists, intellectuals, and students between April 15 and June 4, 1989. They had their beginning in the funeral for former Secretary General of the CPC, Hu Yaobang. Yaobang was in favor of rapid reform, and had openly derided what he termed as Maoist excesses. As such, he was positioned as a scapegoat for the pro-democracy protests of 1986-1987 and then forced out of the party. Before his funeral, tens of thousands of students staged sit ins across China, with the largest gathering (over 100,000 being at Tienanmen Square, demanding the party revise their official view of him.

The protests escalated across the country to include demands for free media reform and open dialogue between party leaders and elected representatives of the students. As the protests continued to escalate, party leaders were divided in how best to respond. Then General Secretary Zhao Ziyang advocated a soft approach, while Li Peng was in strongly in favor of a crackdown.

Martial law was declared on May 20, with the actual assault on Tienanmen Square by the 27th and 28th Armies of the People's Liberation Army occurring the night of June 3. Troops with fixed bayonets and armored personnel carriers advanced on the square from various positions, attacking protesters who continued to resist as well as those who attempted to flee. The event was immortalized by the photograph of one man standing in front of a column of tanks, easily one of the most famous photographs taken that earned the unknown man a spot on Time Magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th Century. His fate is remains unknown, with various sources indicating that he was ultimately arrested, killed, or escaped untouched. Unknown to many who view this photograph, the tanks were actually attempting to drive out of Tienanmen Square along the Avenue of Eternal Peace when the photo was taken.

The Square was cleared by 5:40 a.m. It is unknown how many were ultimately killed, but estimates range wildly from 200 to 10,000. Protests continued around the country for a few more days before the Chinese government was able to fully regain control. Afterward, there was a purge through out the CPC, as members viewed as sympathetic to the protestors. This included Zhao Ziyang, who was removed from his position as General Secretary and would ultimately die in prison.

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