amoy
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Things were not either black or white as being over simplified like one side 'thugs' then other side 'angels'. As it happned over 2 decades ago, people are more at ease to talk abt it and more accounts / memoirs have surfaced even from some key 'stakeholders' at that time. Anyway, being not eyewitness, we're only sharing what's heard read or perceived.
The movement itself was multi dimensional in regards of diverse participants, varying on even different agendas, which evolved in the process. As far as I see their appeals (like RedDragon pointed out) included
1) anti corruption: at the very beginning most demonstrators were opposed to rampant scandals that princelings of CCP top brass who took advantage of loopholes in the transition from a planning economy to a 'market' economy. Back then Chinese as fostered by Mao's equalitarian awareness were very resistant to nepotism.
2) anti inflation: Owing to aggressive eco. transition /reform implemented the inflation was shocking for most Chinese who hadn't experienced anything of that kind.
But gradually the appeals / themes shifted towards political change / end of one-party rule from economy, like Deng referred to "world climate" later, against the backdrops toppling of Soviet Bloc + Warsaw Pact, coupled with the power struggle / discrepancies inside CCP leadership. The General Secretary i.e. head of CCP Zhao actually appreciated Gorbachev's glasnost , perestroika , demokratizatsiya , sympathized with the movement and even wanted to steer it towards that end.
(to be continued)
The movement itself was multi dimensional in regards of diverse participants, varying on even different agendas, which evolved in the process. As far as I see their appeals (like RedDragon pointed out) included
1) anti corruption: at the very beginning most demonstrators were opposed to rampant scandals that princelings of CCP top brass who took advantage of loopholes in the transition from a planning economy to a 'market' economy. Back then Chinese as fostered by Mao's equalitarian awareness were very resistant to nepotism.
2) anti inflation: Owing to aggressive eco. transition /reform implemented the inflation was shocking for most Chinese who hadn't experienced anything of that kind.
But gradually the appeals / themes shifted towards political change / end of one-party rule from economy, like Deng referred to "world climate" later, against the backdrops toppling of Soviet Bloc + Warsaw Pact, coupled with the power struggle / discrepancies inside CCP leadership. The General Secretary i.e. head of CCP Zhao actually appreciated Gorbachev's glasnost , perestroika , demokratizatsiya , sympathized with the movement and even wanted to steer it towards that end.
(to be continued)