East Asia Key Words

Four Modernizations

Deng Xiaoping proposed the four modernizations in 1978 (Lipman et al. 394). They included; science and technology, national defense, agriculture and, industry. The modernizations were in a bid to offer the Chinese people freedom from the various challenges that they were facing. In December 1978, China was unable to defeat Vietnam and save Khmer Rouge, further confirming Deng’s claim of the importance of modernization of China’s military. Wei Jingsheng an electrician, put up a poster, the fifth Modernization (freedom and democracy), reasoning that personal liberty was the only way the four modernizations would be successful. However, he was charged with espionage and was arrested and imprisoned in March 1979 (Lipman et al. 410). The four modernizations ushered China into a new age in the global economy. The move placed North Korea at a disadvantage, more so, when China increased relations with the United States. The four modernizations demonstrated that China’s advancement into the global economy would be led by a change in the key pillars in education, conflict management, economy, and social life.

Tiananmen Square

At Yaobang’s memorial with the support of Zhao Ziyang’s through praise, 100,000 students held an organized demonstration at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing. Their colleges joined the strike while being in 20 different cities (Lipman et al. 402). Additionally, the students incorporated hunger strikes in their protest (Sanyong et al. 96). The demonstration received tremendous media coverage. In 1976 and 1986, the political leaders where divided on how to deal with the demonstrations. After the denunciation of Zhao by senior CCP leaders, Deng Xiaoping enlisted military support and declared martial law. The public showed their support for the students explaining that they were their children. This resulted in increased tension in the city. To reduce the students’ morale, rumors were spread that the military would suppress them. Moreover, a statue was erected at the Square to symbolize resistance. PLA troops used tanks to enter the city center to clear barricades while receiving resistance by the residents. Demonstrations ended through negotiations between PLA officials and student leaders.