On April 15, 1989, pro-democracy protests led by students erupted in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, calling for greater political freedom and reform in China. The Chinese government initially allowed peaceful demonstrations, but by June 4, the protests turned deadly when the military was deployed to forcibly suppress the movement. The crackdown resulted in hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths, as tanks and armed troops clamped down on the protesters. The Chinese government heavily censored the incident, making it a highly sensitive topic in China even today. The massacre remains a stark reminder of the limits of political freedom in China and the governments willingness to use violence to maintain control.