History glossary
Tiananmen Square
the central Beijing square where 1989 protests became a national crisis before military suppression.
- Category
- Place and event
- Region
- China
- Date range
- especially 1989
What it means
Tiananmen Square is the central Beijing square where student-led protests in 1989 became a national political crisis. The military suppression of the movement showed that China's economic reform would not be matched by open political liberalization.
Related terms
Stories using this term
Mao's China
After 1949, Mao transformed China through party rule, collectivisation, ideological campaigns, and mass upheaval, leaving a legacy of power, trauma, and state continuity.
The Rise of China
After Mao, China combined market reform with one-party rule, using exports, cities, technology, and nationalism to become one of the world's most powerful states.
