Tiananmen square
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 were student-led demonstrations in Beijing. The protest received wide support and at its height 1 million people gathered in the square. The protest was triggered by the death of former Communist Party General Secretary, Hu Yaobang. People went to the square to mourn his death ,but also voiced grievances against the inflation, limited career prospects, and corruption of party elite. They called for government accountability, freedom of press, freedom of speech, and restoration of worker's control over industry. After two months of protesting the government finally put a stop to it. On June 4th of 1989 troops with assault rifles and tanks inflicted thousands of causalities on unarmed civilians and injuring many more. Afterward the government cracked down on other protests around China and arrested protesters. Deng Xiaoping, the political leader, was accused and put on house arrest, yet was later excused as it was viewed as an act of patriotism. The Communist party remained unchallenged and their power remained.