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he Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989, also known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, June 4th Incident, or "Political Turmoil between Spring and Summer of 1989" by the Chinese government, were a series of student-led demonstrations in the People's Republic of China which occurred between April 15, 1989 and June 4, 1989.
The protest is named after the location of the forceful suppression of the movement in Tian'anmen Square, Beijing by the People's Liberation Army. The protestors came from disparate groups, ranging from intellectuals who believed the Communist Party-led government was too corrupt and repressive, to urban workers who believed Chinese economic reform had gone too far and that the resulting rampant inflation and widespread unemployment was threatening their livelihoods.
After the protestors defied government calls to disperse, a split emerged within the Communist Party on how to respond to the protestors. The decision was made to supress the protestors by force, rather than to heed their demands.
On May 20 the government declared martial law and on the night of June 3 and the early morning of June 4, Army tanks and infantry were sent into Tian'anmen Square to crush the protest. Estimates of civilian deaths vary: 400-800 (Central Intelligence Agency), 2600 (Chinese Red Cross). Injuries are generally held to have numbered from 7,000 to 10,000. Following the violence, the government conducted widespread arrests to suppress the remaining supporters of the movement, banned the foreign press and strictly controlled coverage of the events in the Chinese press. The violent suppression of the Tiananmen Square protest caused widespread international condemnation of the PRC government.