The Tank Man: Tiananmen Square Demonstration and Massacre

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Question 1
One of the main reasons why the protests erupted in 1989 was the death of Hu Yaobang. The students believed that he died due to the stress he got after being forced to resign. His resignation indicated the oppression and lack of freedom that was going on in China. A few days following a series of protests, a large number of people has joined the protests. These people were protesting to ensure political reforms in the country, reduce corruption and ensure the freedom of the press. These situations marked the main reasons why the citizens joined the students in protest. The protests were done when the Chinese economy was experiencing inflation, and there was limited preparedness of graduates before releasing them into the job market. The high levels of corruption and lack of democracy had made it challenging for graduates to maneuver the job market. Citizens were also experiencing a high cost of living and high levels of unemployment. On April 15th, people began to gather at Tiananmen square. Later that day, students from different universities had also joined the mourners in the courtyard. On April 17th, the crowd that gathered in the yard was large than expected. The gathering included speakers from different backgrounds who led the masses in mourning HU and also addressed the social issues that the citizens were facing. The meeting was considered obstructive to the activities of the square, and the police were required to intervene by persuading the students to disperse. The government believed that this could be an effective method of managing the protests. However, more people continued to get to the square and the government chose to use force to disperse the people.
The protesters aimed to create political reforms in the government, pushing for policy developments to reduce corruption and ensure that the press had freedom. On April 17th, the students presented a list of their grievances which included seven items. One of the main issues presented was eliminating press censorship, raising the funding for education, and affirming that HU's ideologies about democracy were right. The students believed that if their grievances were heard and action is taken, China would be a better place to live than during the protest era. At the peak of the protests, more than one million people had gathered in the square. The citizens aimed at creating reforms to ensure China exercised people’s democratic rights. The students and citizens were disorganized, and their goals differed from one person to the other. However, they all called for accountability in the constitution's due process and freedom of the press. After 5the demonstrations, the people expected to live in a world ruled with different policies. The press would have more space and would be allowed to cover various news without facing intimidation from the government. An example of such oppression is when the Chinese government expelled all foreign press members from the country during the peak of the protests. Such was an indication that the press was facing in China. If the citizen's goals of ensuring freedom of speech and the press were a success, they would greatly benefit from it. The press would be free to cover certain news that would facilitate political reforms in China. It would also reduce the levels of corruption in the country since government officials would have to be more accountable to the nations. If such events are not presented to the press, the government would have all the freedom to oppress its citizens. The students and citizens hoped to create significant reforms that would make China a democracy and their dream country to live in.
Question 2
The main reason why the Tiananmen square suppression was a massacre is the extent of force that the military was allowed to use on the citizens. Protests are a common way that people use to express their grievances to those in power. This method has been used in many countries, and most cases, it turns out to be effective. However, how the protests were handled in china attracted global attention. The military used live ammunition to disperse the protestors. Such acts lead to the death of some people while others were severely injured. In the documentary, former student leaders give a first account of what happened during the protests. One of them describes how they witnessed someone near them being shot. A considerable number of people were running out of the square to avoid being shit. Other people were running towards the military in an attempt to stop the shootings. Suh did not stop the army from shooting civilians. Governments from different parts of the world condemned the act by claiming that it was inhuman for a government to use such force on its civilians. According to BBC News, the death toll from the protest rose to ten thousand people. This number of deaths made history and is currently considered the largest massacre in history resulting from protests. Some people died from gunshots, while others died from the stampede caused by individuals running in and out of the square. The square had more than one million people, and this explains the extent to which death and injuries were eminent. The Chinese government could have avoided such a massacre by listening...