The Tiananmen Square Massacre

This episode explores the events leading to, during, and following the Tiananmen Square Massacre, focusing on the student-led pro-democracy demonstrations and their tragic suppression.

1. The Tiananmen Square protests were primarily driven by students advocating for democratic reforms.
2. The Chinese government's response was exceedingly harsh, culminating in a massacre with a death toll in the thousands.
3. Key student leaders managed to escape, although they had to live in exile.
4. The international community's coverage of the events brought significant global attention to the human rights issues in China.
5. The legacy of the protests continues to impact discussions on democracy and human rights in China.

1: The Buildup

The episode starts with the historical context, tracing back to the May Fourth Movement, setting the stage for student activism in China. It outlines the political climate leading up to the 1989 protests. Lindsey Graham: "History is made every day, and today we tell the story of the Tiananmen Square massacre."

2: The Protests Begin

This chapter details the beginning of the protests, focusing on the death of Hu Yaobang and the subsequent gatherings in Tiananmen Square, which drew international attention. Wu'er Kaixi: "Tiananmen Square is ours, the people's, and we will defend it."

3: The Crackdown

Describes the night of June 3rd and the violent suppression of the protests by the military, including the use of tanks and live ammunition against unarmed students. Chai Ling: "We are staging a hunger strike to reveal the true face of the government and of the people."

1. Educate Yourself: Learn more about global human rights issues to understand the significance of events like Tiananmen.
2. Advocate for Transparency: Push for governmental transparency in your community as a preventative measure against corruption.
3. Support Free Press: Encourage and support journalism that holds power to account.
4. Participate in Democracy: Engage in your local and national political processes to ensure your voice is heard.
5. Remember History: Honor the memory of those who stand up for freedom and democracy by remembering their stories.

June 3, 1989. The Chinese government calls in the military to put down a student-led pro-democracy demonstration in Tiananmen Square, killing hundreds of people. This episode originally aired in 2022.

People

Wu'er Kaixi, Chai Ling

Content Warnings:

Graphic descriptions of violence and oppression

Speaker A
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Speaker B
It'S May 4 in 1919 at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. Almost six months after the end of World War one. A chinese university student pushes his way through the massive gate of heavenly peace at the north of the square, where 3000 other students have gathered to protest the actions of the chinese government. Recently, the student has learned that the government plans to cede lands in eastern China to Japan as part of the Treaty of Versailles, the diplomatic end to World War one. The student joins thousands of others in.

Speaker A
Calling for an end to the government's. Weakness and their acceptance of japanese imperialism. He demands that the chinese government protect their own people and refuse to sign the treaty. The student is angry, but not as angry as some of the others. The student hears shop windows shattering near the square.

Speaker B
He fears the protest is about to turn violent. He looks for an exit from the square, but it's too late. He swept up in a throng of people pushing from the square out into the street. The student looks on in horror as the group of protesters light torches and hurl them at a nearby house. Flames leap from the home and smoke billows into the air as the shouts from the protesters grow louder and the crowd more eager for violence.

A warning shot fires overhead, and the student turns to see a line of police marching down the street. He tries again to flee, but he can't escape the swarm of protesters, and soon the police apprehend him, throwing him to the ground. The student shields his face and cries out as one of the policemen hits him with a club. Finally, he's picked up off the ground, pulled from the chaos and taken into custody.

Later that day, the student will sit in a jail cell, trying to nurse his wounds, along with countless other protesters who were beaten and jailed. Alarmed by the student uprising that began in Tiananmen Square, China will eventually refuse to sign the Treaty of Versailles, and the government will release the jailed protesters. Those students became symbols of what's known as the May 4 movement that inspires cultural change in China and ignites student protests for years to come. Decades later, calling on memories of the May 4 movement, thousands of students will return to Tiananmen Square to mount weeks of pro democracy demonstrations aimed at Chinas communist regime. But the student protests will spark an aggressive military response that will leave hundreds dead and thousands wounded.

Starting on June 3, 1989.

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Speaker B
Use as directed from Noiser and airship I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is history daily.

Speaker A
History is made every day on this podcast. Every day we tell the true stories. Of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is June 3, 1989. The Tiananmen Square massacre.

Speaker B
It's the night of April 21, 1989. On a college campus in Beijing. In the dark, 21 year old student Wu Kaixi stands outside near a makeshift stage. Woor is nervous. Hes organized a student rally for a democratic reform in China.

He hoped maybe a few hundred students would show up, but word quickly spread to other universities, and now tens of thousands have gathered to hear Wu er share his vision for a freer China. Days earlier, Hu Yaobang, a former government official, died of a heart attack. Many young people saw Hu as their leader in the fight against oppressive authoritarian rule in China. Hools funeral is scheduled for tomorrow, so tonight, Wooer and the other students have gathered to pay their respects and to ensure that the fight for democracy doesnt die with their leader. Woore takes a deep breath.

He reminds himself that hes prepared. He believes in his message, and hes also a talented showman. Wooer leaps onto the stage and steps into a spotlight. As the crowd cheers him on, Wooer inspires the audience by speaking out against the government in a way most people are too afraid to do. He talks about the freedoms enjoyed in democratic nations.

He says that they, as chinese citizens, have no less right to those freedoms than anyone else. He paints a picture of a China where people can speak out against the government without fear of reprisal. When Wu er finishes speaking, the energy on campus is electric. Wu wants to keep the rally going and show the public how angry Chinas young people truly are. He knows where they need to go next.

So Wu er leads thousands of students in lockstep to Tiananmen Square. When they reach the gate of heavenly peace, Wu er calls out to them to link arms in a show of solidarity. He wants everyone to know that this protest is led by Chinas youth, and theyre willing to stand together. But soon, government officials arrive and tell the students camped out in the square to clear out before Hu Yaobangs funeral the following day. But by the next morning, on April 22, Wooer and the others have refused to leave, and theyre joined by thousands of students from other universities.

By the end of the day, close to 100,000 students have gathered in the square. Wooer and other leaders quickly realize they can turn their pro democracy rally into a full blown movement. Along with Woor, another student leaders voice starts to catch the tension of those around her. Her words are sharp, angry, and inspiring. At 23 years old, Chai Ling is already a gifted speaker who spent much of her time at school organizing protests.

Now shes ready to use her skills on a much larger scale. Over the next several days, Chai and Woo become part of a small leadership group that aims to shape the protesters into a more cohesive body. They decide their ultimate goal should be to get government officials to meet with them and hear their demands. But first, they have to determine what theyre asking for. They discuss the need for democracy and an end to authoritarian rule.

But war urges them to create clear, actionable items to present to the government. The leadership group doesnt always agree, and theyre often disorganized. But eventually, they do decide to push for a few basic democratic freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and due process. They also call for more transparency in government, which they believe will curtail what they see as rampant corruption among chinese leadership. But Chai and wooer know their list of demands wont mean anything if theres no one to listen.

In order to get a high ranking government official to even hear them out, they decide they need to expand their movement beyond Tiananmen Square. So Chai, Wu and the leadership group travel to college campuses in Beijing to encourage student sit ins and to spread the word of their effort to other major chinese cities. But while theyre spreading the message, they agreed to continue their occupation of Tiananmen Square. Throughout April and into May, their movement grows. Student sit ins take place at universities all across the country.

Older chinese citizens rally to the calls as well, coming to the square, passing out leaflets in town, and spreading the movements pro democracy message. As thousands more join the fight, Chai and Wu are finally contacted by government officials who promise to sit down with them. But the meeting never seems to happen, and eventually Chai grows impatient. She tells the group they need to do something drastic to get the government's attention. In May of 1989, chai, Wu, and other student leaders will organize a hunger strike.

But the students actions will anger the government, and before long, those in power will try to stop the protests by force.

Speaker A
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Speaker B
It'S early afternoon on May 13, 1989, at a university cafeteria. Chai Ling sits among a group of 200 students. They dig into what will be their last meal before starting a hunger strike. The students all wear headbands with a revolutionary message scrawled across the fabric, give me liberty or give me death. Days earlier, Chaye debated with other student leaders about the need to stage a hunger strike.

Some believed that Chai was going too far. They argued that students shouldn't risk their health for the sake of protest. But Chai disagreed. She said they needed to do something bold to make the government pay attention. Eventually, Chai's arguments won the day, and before long, volunteers for the hunger strike started lining up.

Today, the students finished their last meal in the cafeteria. Then Chai leads them on a march back to Tiananmen Square. She shouts to anyone within earshot, we are staging a hunger strike to reveal the true face of the government and of the people. Chai's call for bold action appears to pay off almost immediately. On May 14, the second day of the strike, Chai, Wu Ewer and other student leaders are whisked from Tiananmen Square to the office of the minister of China's unique united Front, a department designed to recognize and confront potential opposition to Chinas Communist Party.

There, the students finally get their face to face meeting with a high ranking official. The minister greets the students as honored guests. He apologizes that its taken so long to open up a dialogue with them. He also expresses concern over the health of the students who are on the hunger strike. Chai cant help but think her tactics are working.

But soon the minister makes his true motivation clear. He informs the students that on the following day, May 15, Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev is arriving in China for the two nations first summit since the 1950s. The minister says the chinese government intends to welcome Mister Gorbachev in Tiananmen Square. Then the minister gives an ominous warning, saying if the students do not leave the square by tomorrow, the consequences will be hard to predict. He adds, none of us wants to see anything bad happen.

When the student leaders return to Tiananmen Square, they're already at odds about how to respond, Wooer says. They should at least partially clear the square and show their support for Gorbachev. He says over the past several years, the soviet leader has been a force of social reform in his own communist nation. Woohoor believes Gorbachev can inspire China to make the types of changes the students are pushing for. But Chai disagrees.

She argues that Gorbachevs visit means western journalists will flock to China to cover the summit. She wants the worlds media to see the hunger strike and broadcast their protests all over the world. Again, Chai wins the argument. On May 15, western journalists arrive to cover the upcoming summit. But many are instantly drawn to the events taking place in Tiananmen Square.

The western media covers the story of the hunger strike and the massive student demonstration. Just like Chai hoped, the chinese government has no desire to draw more attention to the students. So chinese leaders scrap any attempt to bring Gorbachev to Tiananmen Square. Chai sees this as a victory. She knows the students have forced the government's hand.

Speaker A
With the whole world watching, Chai believes. The movement is gaining real power. But western media coverage of the protests and the students refusal to leave the square for Gorbachev's arrival angers the chinese government. Chai and Wu begin to hear rumors of possible military action. In late May, they learn that small.

Bands of soldiers are being bussed in. From outside the city to try to shut the protests down. Chai and Wu quickly spring into action and help organized groups to intercept the soldiers buses on the road, stopping them from reaching the square. Their plan works. Huge groups of peaceful protesters surround the soldiers buses and make it impossible for them to move.

Speaker B
Some of the soldiers are stranded for days before the government finally calls off the operation. After their peaceful stand against the incoming soldiers, Chai and Wu believe victory is within sight. But the chinese government is done playing games. In early June, soldiers and tanks will flood Tiananmen Square, bringing the student demonstration to a violent end.

Speaker A
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Speaker B
It'S the night of June 3, 1989, in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Woo Kaixi stands in front of the roughly 10,000 students who are still gathered in the square. He prepares to give what he believes will be his final speech. Woo, chai, Ling, and the other students receive news that the government is planning to send tanks and soldiers to the square to crush the protest. But Wu, er, and Chai wont go down without a fight.

Woor summons as much energy as he can and calls out to the crowd, Tiananmen Square is ours, the peoples, and we will not allow butchers to tread on it. We will defend Tiananmen Square and defend the future of China. But any thought of the future quickly disappears when Wooer and the others hear the sound of tanks. As the military enters Tiananmen Square and soldiers open fire on the unarmed protesters, many of the students try to stand their ground. They set fire to some of the soldiers buses in and around the square.

But as the violence escalates, thousands of protesters give up running to safety. Wooer knows if hes caught, he will be sent to prison or executed, and many of his supporters know it too. They quickly concoct a plan to get Wooer out of Tiananmen Square. Late on the night of June 3, 1989, an ambulance speeds into the square. One of the students grabs wooer and helps him into the back.

The student then conceals woore under the body of a dead protester. The ambulance then whisks Woore to safety, and from there he will go on the run and eventually escape to home Hong Kong. Amidst the chaos, chai also rushes out of the square before the students final withdrawal and leaves the city by train. She will eventually sail to America. Hidden in a crate, both leaders will spend their lives in exile.

The next morning, soldiers will continue their assault on the remaining students until the military gains complete control of Tiananmen's Square. Then they clear the square of the dead, the wounded, and any evidence of the protest. The chinese government downplays the incident, claiming 241 people died, the majority of whom were soldiers. But the western media dubs the military action. The Tiananmen Square massacre and multiple independent studies list the death toll of the protesters as close to 1000, with thousands more maimed or wounded.

Those numbers dont account for any of the protesters, who are believed to have been executed after being taken into custody. Then, on June 5, the chinese government makes a show of force by rolling tanks through a now empty Tiananmen Square. That day, briefly, a lone protester steps in front of the tanks. Images of this man will be broadcast all over the world. The unidentified protester, often called tank man, will come to represent all of the people who stood up and fought for change until they were attacked by the military in Tiananmen Square on June 3, 1989.

Next on History daily June 4, 1783. The Mongolfier brothers hold the first public demonstration of their new invention, the hot air balloon from noiser and airship. This is History daily, hosted, edited, and. Executive produced by me. Lindsey Graham.

Audio editing by Molly Bach sound design by Derek Behrens Music by Lindsey Graham. This episode is written and researched by Michael Federico. Executive producers are Stephen Walters for airship and Pascal Hughes for r.

Speaker D
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