30 years ago, Chinese citizens took to the streets to protest the totalitarian Chinese government using its power against its own citizens. More than 1,000,000 Chinese citizens gathered in Tiananmen Square to demand some of the basic rights that we as Americans have been lucky to enjoy. Protesters constructed a replica of the Statue of Liberty that they called the “Goddess of Democracy”, or the “Goddess of Liberty”. Their replica symbolized the struggle for the freedom of expression, freedom of speech, and the freedom to protest, along with the right to self-governance. The communist government ordered its military to strike down the demonstration in a violent display of force. It mowed down its own citizens for exercising their natural right to speak and demonstrate freely. Due to the efforts of the Chinese government to censor and cover up the details of the massacre, it is unclear how many lives were lost to the Chinese government. Estimates are that the death toll could be anywhere from several hundred to around 2,700. The Tiananmen Square Massacre serves as a warning against the concentration of absolute government power and the threat that leftist ideology poses to liberty.
China’s regime has become increasingly repressive in the last few years. There has been the impression of an increased freedom of expression, but what is interesting about this is that the expression of contrary views can then be monitored and repressed. You might express your view but get harshly treated for doing so.
