Essential Events Since 1945 | CFR Education
Since the end of World War II, scientists have invented pacemakers, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, the measles vaccine, and many ...
martial law
In the 1980s, hundreds of millions of people in China escaped extreme poverty through the country’s economic reforms. Nevertheless, vast inequality, rising food prices, and government corruption remained. These concerns boiled over in Beijing in May 1989. Students across China poured out into the streets demanding freedom of speech, democratic reforms, and an end to corruption among Communist Party elites. After negotiations with protesters failed, the government declared <anchor>martial law</anchor> and sent hundreds of thousands of troops to confront nearly one million students who were demonstrating in the iconic Tiananmen Square. When protesters refused to leave, the government opened fire, killing hundreds—if not thousands—of civilians in the square and surrounding streets. The message from the Communist Party to the people was clear: political dissent would not be tolerated. The massacre remains one of the country’s most politically sensitive and censored events. All web searches originating in China that have to do with the incident are blocked; many young Chinese people are unaware it ever happened.
martial law | CFR Education
martial law \| CFR Education

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## martial law

the military control of a territory, usually established in an emergency situation. Typically, normal laws are suspended; authorities are granted greater powers; and civil liberties, such as freedom of assembly, are restricted.

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