Despite its bluster, the Soviet Union was crumbling, and satellite countries that had been dominated since World War II by the heavy hand of Moscow were rebelling in unique ways.
In Tallinn, Estonia, the Singing Revolution of 1988 turned Soviet tanks away, and within a few years, Estonia became an independent nation with a thriving capitalist democracy.
In 1989, the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia eventually birthed two new free countries, Czech Republic and Slovakia, which is the country from which my son-in-law Laszlo immigrated with his parents in the 1980's, indirectly leading to our star granddaughter Emma.
The successors to Mao were taking China in a new direction, with a shift from agriculture to manufacturing as they opened their economy to trade with the free world. Absolute power, however, remained as always in the grip of the Chinese Communist Party.
Looking at how most people dress in Chinese big cities seems to confirm that theory.
As someone who believes words and music have power to change lives, I can appreciate that theory has merit, but others claim just as convincingly that it was strong political leadership by the United States that pried open the doors to freedom.
While China had been liberalizing their economy, government and education system since US President Nixon metaphorically opened the way for a new Silk Road, it was not enough for large numbers of Chinese students, who like young people everywhere included lots of idealists.
After rising to become General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in 1980, Hu championed greater freedom and democratization.
By January of 1987, hardliners felt the pendulum had swung too far or at least too fast, and they pushed back against Hu's policies to force him from office. When Hu died of a heart attack on April 15, he became a martyr of sorts for the people who yearned for greater freedom.
The death of Hu prompted fears that the freedom movement would die far short of its goals.
The government published propaganda branding the students as "Counter-Revolutionary," which in Communist China meant essentially everything evil. This thinned their ranks, as I'm sure worried parents begged their children to come to their senses and not destroy their futures.
The hunger strike re-galvanized the movement. Seeing bright young students voluntarily starving themselves to save their country had a much greater effect in China than it would have in well-fed America.
By May 4, demonstrations had spread to 51 cities, and the multitude of demonstrators at Tiananmen Square had swollen to a quarter of a million people.
The naturally curious westerners found an even more interesting story in Tiananmen Square, shining the bright light of the world on what the Chinese Communist Party would have preferred kept hidden forever.
Humiliated to lose face in front of the whole world, the CCP knew they must do something.
Martial law was declared on May 19, with military troops sent into Tiananmen Square to "maintain order," but the marchers refused to disband, bringing to mind the 1971 Don McLean lyrics, "The players tried to take the field. The marching band refused to yield. Do you recall, what was the deal? The day the music died."
Our guide Yuan was there, not as a demonstrator but observing, concerned for the safety of students he knew. He said his line of sight was on almost exactly the same line as the western journalist who shot the iconic "tank man" footage.
By the way, I should note that never in our travels did our guide Yuan say anything disparaging about the CCP. Any negative connotations about anything within this blog are based on my own independent research.
Demonstrators seemed to essentially dare the ironically named People's Liberation Army to shoot, and eventually they did.
The soldiers had their orders, and the "massacre" unfolded over a few days, and not just in the Square. It was more of a Beijing Massacre, with many killed in streets around Tiananmen Square as they tried to hinder the encroachment by the troops.Initial government estimates of deaths were "23 counter-revolutionary hooligans" killed by the military, which was revised up gradually to 197 and then over the years to an acknowledged 300.
In a country where all media is controlled by the government, the only "facts" are those established by the government, but estimates by foreign journalists and eye witnesses reach into the thousands.
Constructed in 1415, Tiananmen did indeed serve primarily as the gateway to the Imperial City.
It remains a national symbol of China.
The Square at Tiananmen was designed under the Qing Dynasty in 1651. It has been enlarged several times, including by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1958-9 who wanted it to be the largest and most spectacular square in the world.
Like Royal Caribbean Cruise ship generations, this square has been surpassed by six larger squares, including China's Xinghai Square that is about four times as large, but Tiananmen Square is still often called "the largest civic gathering place in the world."
While the Chinese Communist Party may wish to erase the Tiananmen Square Event from history, it turned out to be a seminal event in helping create the miracle still unfolding of an impoverished country that has already become the second largest economy in the world.
