Every year, imperial propagandists ritualistically invoke this or that version of the 1989 events at Tiananmen Square to portray China as a murderous dictatorship. And every year, scores of people seek to rebut the claims by appeals to video footage and other evidence of what happened.
But I think we can be more forceful: Unlike in the Soviet Union, the Western-backed counterrevolution failed in China. Looking at the historic mortality crisis caused by capitalist restoration in Eastern Europe, this fact alone likely saved tens of millions of lives — and prevented imperialism from extinguishing the flame of socialism altogether.
From that perspective, the events of 1989 represent a major victory for socialism and the global working class. This, no doubt, is the primary source of the imperialists’ lingering outrage.
It's been 37 years since the June 1989 Tiananmen Massacre, when countless peaceful pro-democracy protesters were killed in Beijing.
To this day, the Chinese government has failed to accept responsibility for its crimes. Learn more: