People's Liberation Army at the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre

People's Liberation Army at the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre
	Part of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests
	; Chinese tanks in Beijing, June 1989
Date	21 May – 9 June 1989; (20 days)
Location	Beijing, China
Result	End of student-led demonstrations, PLA retakes the Tiananmen Square and streets of Beijing
Belligerents
Chinese Communist Party Central Military Commission People's Liberation Army; ;	Demonstrators Beijing Students' Autonomous Federation; Beijing Workers' Autonomous Federation; Defend Tiananmen Square Headquarters;
Commanders and leaders
Deng Xiaoping (CMC Chairman); Yang Shangkun (President); Li Peng (Premier); Liu Huaqing (CMC deputy Secretary-general); Chi Haotian (Head of the General Staff Department); Yang Baibing (Director of the General Political Department); Xu Qinxian (Commander of the 38th Group Army);	Student leaders: Wang Dan; Wu'erkaixi; Chai Ling; Shen Tong; Liu Gang; Feng Congde; Li Lu; Wang Youcai; Workers: Han Dongfang; Lü Jinghua; Intellectuals: Liu Xiaobo; Wang Juntao; Dai Qing; Hou Dejian; Cui Jian; Zhang Boli; Chen Mingyuan;
Strength
150,000–350,000 troops	50,000–100,000 demonstrators
Casualties and losses
15 verified killed including 7 KIA; 23 killed including 10 PLA and 13 PAP; ~5000 wounded; 60+ armored personnel carriers; 30+ police cars; 1,000+ military trucks; 120+ other vehicles	241 killed; hundreds to ~2,600 killed; 7,000+ wounded

During the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre in Beijing, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) played a decisive role in enforcing martial law, using force to suppress the demonstrations in the city.^[13] The killings of protestors in Beijing continue to taint the legacies of the party elders, led by Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, and weigh on the generation of leaders whose careers advanced as their more moderate colleagues were purged or sidelined at the time.^[13] Within China, the role of the military in 1989 remains a subject of private discussion within the ranks of the party leadership and PLA.^[13]

^ Scobell, "Why the People's Army Fired," 201.
^ Zhao, D. p. 171
^ Cite error: The named reference WRH-PLA casualty tabulation was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b L. Zhang 2001, p. 436.
^ ^a ^b Frontline: Memory of Tiananmen 2006.
^ Cite error: The named reference Xinhua-June-4-1989 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ How Many Died 1990.
^ U.S. G.P.O., p. 445.
^ Brook 1998, p. 154.
^ Kristof:Reassessing Casualties.
^ Secretary of State's.
^ Brook 1998, p. 161.
^ ^a ^b ^c Cite error: The named reference SMH was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

[ReferenceB-1] Scobell, "Why the People's Army Fired," 201.

[zhao171-2] Zhao, D. p. 171

[WRH-PLA_casualty_tabulation-3] Cite error: The named reference WRH-PLA casualty tabulation was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[FOOTNOTEL._Zhang2001436-5] L. Zhang 2001, p. 436.

[FOOTNOTEFrontline:_Memory_of_Tiananmen2006-6] Frontline: Memory of Tiananmen 2006.

[Xinhua-June-4-1989-8] Cite error: The named reference Xinhua-June-4-1989 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[FOOTNOTEHow_Many_Died1990-10] How Many Died 1990.

[FOOTNOTEU.S._G.P.O.445-11] U.S. G.P.O., p. 445.

[FOOTNOTEBrook1998154-12] Brook 1998, p. 154.

[FOOTNOTEKristof:Reassessing_Casualties-13] Kristof:Reassessing Casualties.

[FOOTNOTESecretary_of_State's-14] Secretary of State's.

[FOOTNOTEBrook1998161-15] Brook 1998, p. 161.

[SMH-17] Cite error: The named reference SMH was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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