FrontPage : Turn in your 16.2 study guide.

1. FrontPage:Turn in your 16.2 study guide. The Last Word: No homework; test this week

2. THE PRC… China After Mao

3. 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

4. Recent Chinese Leaders • Jiang Zemin(90s) and HuJintao (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

5. 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

6. 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 30teams 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.”

9. 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 HuYaobang 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…

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. “The Unknown Rebel” (June 5th)

17. 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…