The Political Turmoil of 1989

From April to early June in 1989, a political upheaval that fundamentally negated the leadership of the CPC and socialism occurred in China. On April 15, 1989, Hu Yaobang passed away. A handful of people attempted to use this event to create rumors, to attack the Party's leadership and socialist system, used fliers, posters, slogans; they bewitched the masses to hold demonstrations, the mob led by them even attacked the Xinhuamen of Zhongnanhai, where the Central leadership and central government is located. Criminal activities of beating, smashing and robbing by criminals took place in cities such as Xi'an, Changsha and Chengdu and some other places of the country.

On April 24, the Standing Committee of the Central Committee made an analysis of the situation, evaluated the situation as a planned and organized political turmoil targeting the Party and socialism. Since May 13, a handful of people with ulterior motives had incited some students to go on a hunger strike and occupy Tian’anmen Square. Martial law has been imposed in some parts of the capital since 10:00 on May 20. On June 4, with the support of Deng Xiaoping and other older revolutionaries, the Central Committee of the CPC took decisive measures to quell the counter revolutionary riots in Beijing at one stroke.

This political turmoil was not accidental, but was the result of the interaction of many international and domestic factors. In terms of international factors it was the result of the international hostile forces’ strategy of "peaceful evolution" and ideological penetration; in terms of the domestic factors, it was the result of the proliferation of bourgeois liberalization. This political turmoil demonstrated that we must clearly and unswervingly adhere to the Party's basic line and oppose bourgeois liberalization.