FrontPage: Turn in your 16.2 study guide.

The Last Word: No homework; test this

week

China After Mao

THE PRC…

China Under Deng Xiaoping

Xiaoping takes over control of China soon after Mao dies (1978) (rules until 1992)

His rule turns China in a slightly different direction; begins to open the country a bit more Eases strict economic controls of the government Allows students to study abroad Welcomes foreign investment

**But still maintains a tight grip on power, and stifled attempts at real reform and democratization

Recent Chinese Leaders Jiang Zemin (90s) and Hu Jintao

(2000s) Both continued to increase the

role of China on the world stage Both tried to modernize China’s

economy, and introduced reforms that would make it more of a free-market

But China remained a communist political system, with one-party control, centralized planning, and mostly government ownership of the means of production

Background to the Protests at Tiananmen

Reforms of Deng Xiaoping had created two dissatisfied groups Urban workers – reforms had gone too far▪ Caused unemployment and lower wages; wanted less reforms

Intellectuals/students – want more reforms▪ See other Communist nations (Russia) opening up;

But peasants were happy with Deng’s leadership▪ Had seen their incomes rise during the 1980’s as a result of

government programs.▪ But they were too far removed from the cities to be

supportive of the government during the protests

Tiananmen Square Means “Gate of Heavenly

Peace” One hundred acres in all

One of the most heavily monitored central squares in the world Cameras, speakers for crowd

control …”Could accommodate all 30

teams of the NFL plus 190 other teams, each playing separate games. Or, if you put a mountain in the middle, you could hold the Winter Olympics there instead.”

Background to the Protests at Tiananmen

Students march to Tiananmen in 1987 to demonstrate against policies of government Police are ready, and they club students Students are beaten and carried away

Chinese official Hu Yaobang prevents many students from being jailed, and arranges for buses to take them back to campuses “Hard-liners” not happy with Hu; he is ousted from his

position

Students who were involved in the protests were assigned to terrible jobs in bad locations after they graduate…

The Spark For the 1989 Protests

The death of Hu Yaobang Former Sec. Gen. of Communist Party▪ Popular reformer in government▪ Became a scapegoat for the government; criticized

by state editorials after his death His death on April 15th, 1989 provides

students with an opportunity to gather…▪ …To mourn his death▪ …To call on the government to reverse its criticism

of his actions while in office

April 15th to 17th, 1989

Protests grow… Students join amidst claims of clashes between police and

protesters, and reports that Chinese media was distorting the events

Takes on more of a pro-democracy slant as the numbers grow Students demand more democratic representation, student

union organization, and end to corruption

May, 1989

May 4th: approximately 100,000 students march in Beijing demanding media reform and negotiations with the Communist leadership Sparked by State-run newspapers calling previous

marches “an organized conspiracy to sow chaos” May 13th: Large groups of students in the Square

start a hunger strike Supported by hundreds of thousands of other students

and protestors in Beijing and other Chinese cities Daily marches and protests begin to occur in Tiananmen

Square May 20th:Martial law declared in Beijing

Military attempts to enter the city, but soldiers are inexperienced and reluctant to use force against the protestors blocking their path

May 30th, 1989

A statue of the Goddess of Democracy is erected in the Square

Communist leaders remain split on their plan of action Some want to use the

military to crack down on the protestors

Some want to take a softer approach with the protestors

June 3rd/4th, 1989

PLA soldiers and tanks sent into the Square to disperse the protestors Units more experienced and from

other regions of China Soldiers use deadly force to

disperse protestors Tear gas, AK-47s, flamethrowers,

APCs Estimates of civilian deaths vary

400-800 (CIA) 2600 (Chinese Red Cross)

About 10,000 injured

“The Unknown Rebel” (June 5th)

After the Massacre

Government and PLA arrest the supporters of the movement Ban the foreign press from covering the event

and the aftermath Strictly control the Chinese media coverage

as well These moves cause widespread

international condemnation The international press struggles to make

sense of what went on, and to report the events to the world…