Thousands of Chinese crowded into Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on April 21, 1989 as cheering students demanded greater political freedom. But by June 4th the protesters were brutally suppressed by the Communist government, horrifying worldwide television viewers who witnessed the bloodbath.

The demonstration started six days after the death of the popular, reform-minded leader Hu Yaobang. Students gathered on Tiananmen Square to honor Hu and express their discontent with China’s authoritarian communist government. The student’s demand to meet with Premier Li Peng was rebuffed, leading the students to join in on a general boycott of Chinese universities across the country and widespread calls for democratic reforms.

At first the government was tolerant of the mass appeals after Hu’s death, but began denouncing the students’ actions when they realized the discontent in China was widespread. Before long, student demonstrators were joined by workers, intellectuals and civil servants, until over a million people filled the square.

At the same time, discord within the communist party was also erupting over the non-violent civil disobedience in China. General Secretary Zhao Ziyang expressed sympathy for the students, while Deng Xiaoping denounced the protest and sought out violent means to end it. Zhao was dismissed and spent the rest of his life in house arrest.

Student displays a banner with one of the slogans chanted by the crowd in Tiananmen Square 22 April 1989 in Beijing. (Catherine Henriette/AFP/Getty Images)

By May 20, the students had gained momentum from the general public and demanded that the leadership resign. The government responded by issuing martial law and running editorials for 11 days in the government-run news source, the People’s Daily, calling the students “counter-revolutionaries.” But the public dismissed the editorials as propaganda and continued to support the students.

On June 4, a day known to most as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, Deng refused to compromise with the students and sent troops and tanks to quell the protestors. They killed thousands. The orders given were to reclaim Tiananmen at all costs. By the end of the next day, Chinese troops had brutally cleared Tiananmen Square and Beijing of all demonstrators.

	A girl wounded by the army 04 June 1989 near Tiananmen Square (Manuel Ceneta/AFP/Getty Images)

In the weeks following the massacre the government continued the crackdown. While some students tried to flee, many were executed as the Communist Party asserted control.

The international community responded by imposing economic sanctions, which caused China’s economy to decline. While trading eventually resumed within the next 10 years, the images of weaponless students fending off the Chinese military are still clear and continue to shape the perception people have of China.