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.

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