Printed Page 480-0(cont.)

Sources for Western Society: Printed Page 480

29-3 | Tiananmen Square: Resistance to the Power of the State
JEFF WIDENER, Tank Man (1989)

In 1989 prodemocracy demonstrations were not confined to Europe. Chinese students camped out in Tiananmen Square for weeks in the same sort of protests that seemed to have worked in Czechoslovakia and Poland. Unlike the communist governments of eastern Europe, however, the Chinese government proved willing to use force to maintain itself, and the Chinese army proved willing to obey orders to suppress the demonstrations. As the tanks rolled toward the square, they were held up by a single man, apparently with his shopping purchases, who blocked their path. Photojournalist Jeff Widener snapped this picture of the scene, which came to symbolize resistance—albeit ultimately futile—to state power.

image

“The Unknown Rebel,” June 5, 1989. AP Photo/Jeff Widener.

READING QUESTIONS

  1. Question

    To what use might this image be put by advocates of nonviolent revolution? How effective would those uses be, given the ultimate fate of the Tiananmen Square demonstrators?

  2. Question

    What sort of reaction might this image provoke in a supporter of strong state power?

  3. Question

    What reasons might the tank commander have for not running down the man in his way? What could this suggest about the limits of military power?