China: Beijing Heavenly Peace Square Massacre (1989)

Historical context

In the 19th century, Chinese territory was dominated and divided between great european powers: France, Great Britain, Germany, Belgium and even the Asian neighbor Japan shared the China in areas of influence with the intention of expanding its consumer markets and conquering raw materials and cheap labor for growing industrialization.

Before the invasion of these powers, the country was led by Manchu Dynasty and it had a well-defined political organization, being an example of development for other Asian nations.

This chapter in world history would come to be known as Neocolonialism and unlike the colonialism undertaken during the 16th and 17th centuries, the colonizers this time sought resources to supply their industries. Asia, Africa and Latin America were the main targets of the conquistadors, disputes over territories on these continents generated great international tension.

Unlike the Latin American and Asian continents, at the beginning of the 19th century the African continent had a socio-political organization led by a tribal system. The neocolonization of Latin America took place through the investment of foreign capital, which increased the dependence of countries on European and North American economy, while in Asia and Africa imperialist expansion also relied on military intervention in the regions dominated.

The intervention of the imperialist powers intensified social tensions within the dominated regions, in China a large part of the population living in absolute misery in an economic model very similar to the one that prevailed in Europe in the Middle Ages, the feudalism. 90% of the land was accumulated in the hands of large landowners, while the population worked in serfdom regime nationalist groups began to organize in an attempt to expel the foreigners.

The Boxer War at the end of the 19th century is an example of the discontent of the population, the boxers as they became known blamed foreigners for the poverty situation in which they lived. where the Chinese lived, the movement killed about two hundred and thirty people from various parts of Europe, which led the great powers to organize a strong army to put an end to revolt.

The superiority of the enemy caused the death of thousands of rebels and the weakening of the Chinese monarchy. After the Boxer Uprising, China was transformed into a Republic, but the new government failed to solve the country's social problems.

chinese revolution

In October 1949 the communists organized in the Chinese Communist Party would take advantage of the social disorganization and the weakening of the Nationalist Party, the Kuomitang to start the Socialist Revolution in China. Inspired by the communist revolution that took place in the Soviet Union, on October 1, 1949, the Chinese managed to realize the dream of revolution.

The People's Republic of China would henceforth be governed by Mao Zedong supreme leader of the Chinese Communist Party. The country would become a great socialist power, second only to the power of the United States and the Soviet Union, however the economic policy adopted by Mao “The Great Leap” based on industrialization and associated with agrarian collectivization would be a great failure, which led to the weakening of the leader communist.

But despite having limited power Mao continued to exert great influence in the country. In the sixties, in a process known as the Chinese Cultural Revolution, which would last until the Mao's death in 1976, the Communists tried to eliminate any kind of Western interference in the China. Thousands of people died in the ten years of the Cultural Revolution.

With the death of Mao-Tsé Tung, the rulers who succeeded him would begin an attempt to include China in the model of the liberal economy (without leaving aside the centralization of power in the hands of the Communist Party Chinese). China in this period becomes a major exporter of food, the creation of economic zones would make room for foreign investment and the establishment of industries aimed at export.

Small farmers were allowed to freely market their products, but none of this was able to eliminate the immense poverty installed in the country and the discontent of the population. As the country modernized and moved towards economic and technological development that would transform China in one of the greatest powers of the 2000s, social inequality continued to grow at levels alarming.

Heavenly Peace Massacre

The height of popular dissatisfaction in China occurred in 1989 between the fifteenth of April and the fourth of June when thousands of students, peasants, intellectuals and groups of workers took to the streets to protest against corruption, unemployment and inflation, which plagued the country even with the opening economical. The tension between government leaders was high, the crisis was installed, the leaders of the Communist Party tried in vain to negotiate with the demonstrators.

Tension was high in the streets due to the constant threat of military intervention against the demonstrating groups, despite climate of fear, more and more people joined the movement and many disbelieved in the possibility of an attack by army. The demonstrations gained enormous national and international repercussions, the movement would soon spread to thirty-five Chinese cities.

In day the fourth of june 1989 the thousands of students who were part of the movement were gathered in the Tiananmen Square in Beijing (Tian An Men), the soldiers surrounding the square were prepared for a real war, with tanks and a huge arsenal of weapons.

A human chain was formed in an attempt to stop the soldiers from attacking, but to no avail. The order given to the army was to fire on the unarmed students, some fled and others remained to react heroically, the resistance lasted more than twenty-one hours.

According to the figures presented by the government only three hundred people were killed, but the international press two thousand six hundred people were murdered. Many bodies were burned right there in the square, which undermined a correct estimate of the true number of deaths.

Doctors at the hospitals where the bodies and the wounded were taken speak of two thousand deaths and university students denounced the disappearance of two thousand colleagues. After the movement the government ordered the death of all the leaders of the revolt. Even today the Heavenly Peace Massacre is used as an example to illustrate the brutality with which many of history's greatest leaders conducted their rule.

Lorena Castro Alves
Graduated in History and Pedagogy