Tiananmen Square Massacre In 1989, Tiananmen Square was full of students from the college near the square. The Olympics were held in 2008 in Beijing, and people from all around came to the Tiananmen Square, yet Chinese cleaned the square so no one could even tell that a massacre was there. Reporters were limited within certain hours to record anything on the square and were not allowed to have live video (Drew 1). These actions show how controlling the Chinese government can be still to this day, but it was much worse in the 1980’s. The Tiananmen Square Massacre happened whenever students from the near by college wanted to fight for democracy, and in the end it did not turn out the way everyone wanted. The massacre did not only end up hurting not only China, but …show more content…
Even after many years have passed people still cry over the lost of their loved ones on June 4, 1989 (Chang 12). The Chinese are still under very strict ruling after all these years since Tiananmen Massacre. Even after the protesters of Tiananmen tried to go against communism it did not work (21). The students at the local college were not getting the anything they needed, things they needed to survive, like food and clean water, and sometimes even shelter. The government did not want to focus on that, as they were too busy trying to figure out what to do about the protesters they had on their hands (Fairbank 425). No one saw the real problem in China until it was too late when the government destroyed every protestor - students and teachers- in Tiananmen. There was no warning signs that people knew about the government coming to attack its own citizens that were trying to fight for what they thought was right. Communism prevented anyone from having his or her own thoughts in this world. The people of China know that even now they still cannot agree with the protestors because their government is always right (Drew
After Chairman Mao’s death, Ji-Li and the rest of China realize that he was never the right leader for China and instead of improving China’s society, he actually prevented it. In the end, Ji-Li knows she was brainwashed by Mao’s actions. The Communist Party told them what to wear, read, think, and how to act. They never let China be free to be who they are. It was not until Mao's death that Ji-li began questioning what they were told. “It was only after Mao’s death in 1976 that people woke up. We finally learned that the whole Cultural Revolution had been part of a power struggle at the highest levels of the Party. Our leader had taken advantage of our trust and loyalty to manipulate the whole country.” (Jiang, Chapter 18). Now, as an adult, Ji-li tries to bridge the gap between China and America. She loves the freedom she enjoys in America, especially that she does not have to worry about what she says or thinks, but she does not hate China. People can not use political corruption and injustice to get what they want out of society. Promoting equality and opportunities for all is key to improving society. We can not get behind beating people up or imprisoning them because they did not abide by society’s
Ever since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, the legitimacy of the revolution of which it was built upon has perennially been in question. For example, in a 1999 issue of the International Herald Tribune, a prestigious scholar claimed that all of China’s tragedies are ‘sustained by a mistaken belief in the correctness of the 1949 revolution’ and that the future progress of China depends on the recognition that the revolution was a failure. However, the CCP government was certainly not perfect and its most significant failures were its political failures such as the Anti-rightist movement and the Cultural Revolution and also economic failures such as the great leap forward. Millions of peoples were falsely accused and persecuted during the political movements of the Mao period as the CCP focused on class struggle instead of economic development during the period and tens of Millions of peoples died due to starvation as there were widespread food shortages during the great leap forward movement.
For many outsiders, it might be easy to assume that all Chinese value communism, or that communism is the only thing to define Chinese politics by. However, when we watched “Born Under the Red Flag”, we could see that the Chinese views on communism are less black and white, and a little more complicated than one might think. Communism has played a big role as the main political system of China throughout its history, but not all Chinese have liked communism, just as not all have been against it. In the documentary “Born Under the Red Flag”, we can really see the reception of Communism in China, and how many have been split between those who oppose it and those who fight for it. During the rule of Chairman Mao Zedong, many of the youth became part of the infamous Red Guards, who used very violent and aggressive means to impose the teachings of Mao Zedong and communism on any person who was against it. These youth were so dedicated to Chairman Mao that they would go very far in enforcing his rule. Years later great numbers of youth in China were taking a different stance on communism, and marched in Tiananmen Square during the protests of 1989, wanting democracy instead of communism. Unfortunately this became a massacre, as the government would not give into the demands of the youth. Communism is certainly something one can come to associate China with, but even with that it can be hard to make assumptions that apply to all. To think that communism was a horrible oppressive system that did nothing but hurt the Chinese people is not completely accurate, as many loved the teachings of Communism and thought highly of Mao Zedong. But it is also not accurate to say that all Chinese people embraced communism, as it is clear that many opposed it. So the true thoughts of the Chinese on Communism, largely could depend on which Chinese person you ask, as many throughout the years
From the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century major historical events such as the Industrial revolution had occurred. During this period of time Europe was switching into an economy that is focused mostly in the industrial field. From this emerged two social-economic classes, the rich bourgeoisie and the poor proletariats. Furthermore tension brewed from the two groups since the bourgeoisie source of wealth was from the exploitation of the proletariats. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels’ book The Communist Manifesto responded to the situation and created a vision of an equal communist society. The Communist Manifesto was defined by the abolishment of the bourgeois sovereign rule that followed to a revolution against capitalism
Everyday people in China are suffering from their government. From being wrongly accused to being executed for petty crimes. In a country where you cannot speak your opinions, talk poorly about government officials, speak about Chinese communist failures, or even browse the internet freely. China has kept its citizens in the void. One example is the great firewall of china, which sensors most social media and other sites. This essay will go into some individual stories of the Chinese government's unfair social injustices towards its people.
John F. Kennedy, having been in Berlin numerous times already, returns to display the support of the United States government. Kennedy’s willingness for the survival of Berlin was vast and was never doubted. The strength of Berlin rested with the United States, and John Kennedy looks toward the positive of their situation. With his youth and energy, John Kennedy’s words are heard around the world yet again. On June 26, 1963, President Kennedy delivered the most distinguished speech of the time, elevating the morality of the city’s protection from communism (Kennedy 1963).
There is no better way to learn about China's communist revolution than to live it through the eyes of an innocent child whose experiences were based on the author's first-hand experience. Readers learn how every aspect of an individual's life was changed, mostly for the worst during this time. You will also learn why and how Chairman Mao launched the revolution initially, to maintain the communist system he worked hard to create in the 1950's. As the story of Ling unfolded, I realized how it boiled down to people's struggle for existence and survival during Mao's reign, and how lucky we are to have freedom and justice in the United States; values no one should ever take for
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a Japanese soldier barge into your house, rape your mother and sister, and then kill your father, all while you’re being forced to watch? Hopefully not, but unfortunately at one point in our history, that has happened to hundreds of thousands of people of Nanking, China. This Rape of Nanking or Massacre of Nanking can sometimes be referred to as the “forgotten Holocaust of WWII” seeing as it took place close to the start of the Second World War and is not nearly talked about as much as the German Holocaust with the Jews. It all happened in December of 1937, when Nanking fell to the Japanese.
The Chinese have repeatedly tortured, imprisoned, and murdered Tibetans all for what they claim is national unity. While the oppression of the Tibetan people began in the 1950’s with the invasion of China, it continues just as strongly today. From religious oppression and unfair trials to the torture of nuns and monks, the Chinese abuse even the most reverent aspects of Tibetan culture. Political prisoners, whether they are monks, nuns or lay people, are tortured with utter disregard for human rights. Chinese laws have also been established to eradicate the Tibetan people entirely. Women often must endure forced abortions and sterilization due to Chinese birth policies. Through all of these crimes against humanity, China repeatedly commits acts of genocide as established by the United Nations.
On June 28, 1969, a police raid of the Stonewall Inn led to multiple days of rioting that
“To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity” Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa. To start off I'm going to be talking about two very tragic events that occurred, one of them being the My Lai massacre and the other one being the prison torture and abuse scandal in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. I will go into further detail in answering the following questions, what are some key differences? Who is most responsible for what happened at Abu Ghraib? does Abu Ghraib, as well as incidents involving rape and killings of civilians in Iraq suggest that we haven't learned our lessons of My Lai? And lastly what needs to be
Despite the death of Mao in 1976 and the trial of the Gang of Four in 1980, the Cultural Revolution continues to hold significant influence over China’s political decisions. This is particularly evident in 1989, during the Tiananmen Incident. Despite the celebration of the May Fourth student movement as the catalyst in the formation of the Communist Party, Deng Xiaoping (a victim of the Cultural Revolution) and other hardline Party members were adamantly against the gathering of students in Tiananmen Square. The experience of the Cultural Revolution has led Chinese political leaders to be cautious about large scale political movements, and student activism in particular. The lingering resonance of the Cultural Revolution is also evident in the fact that the CCP saw the need to address Mao’s responsibility while trying to maintain his legitimacy and importance as the ideological leader of the Party.
It doesn’t matter who is fighting, what countries are involved, or which weaponries are used; innocent civilians die in every combat. The My Lai Massacre was one of the most ungodly times in the Vietnam War. On the morning of March 16, 1968 a collection of American GIs arrived on the settlement of My Lai, located in the Quang Ngai Province in central Vietnam. The Vietnam War arose in the 1940’s as a conflict of liberties between Vietnamese nationalists known as the Viet Minh and the French who had control in Vietnam. Foreseeing a communist takeover if the North Vietnamese succeeded, the United States contributed economic and military assistance and by 1967 the United States had approximately 400,000 troops in the country (My
Absolute power corrupts absolutely Located in the center of Beijing, China, Tiananmen Square was the location of the 1989 protests against the Chinese government, as well as the June 4th incident, or Tiananmen Square massacre. Today, it is a popular tourist attraction and cultural site. In the spring of 1989, university students began to gather in Tiananmen Square. They held protests against their communist government and advocated peacefully for a more democratic society.
China is a communist country, whose citizens faced many difficult situations while trying to fight for their human rights. According to the “Freedom Rankings” from the database CountryWatch China is not a free country. Specifically the Political Rights and Civil Liberties are in their maximum numbers; this means that these rights are confiscated from the people. Therefore freedoms of press, expression, speech, religion, and movement are all severely limited in China. The government has also kept a close watch on art in China; Chinese art went through many different stages starting from the year 1842. But the massacre of Tiananmen Square in the year 1989 was a turning point in the political life of China and on the country's art. Until the year 1992 art in china was underground, but it kept expanding. As a result of that some Chinese artists started to do art works that rebel against their government and express their feelings towards China. One of these artist is the famous Chinese artist Ai Weiwei who expressed in each piece of art he did, his feelings that China should let its people break away from the rotten traditional, in order to express their thoughts freely.