"Mao had died 13 years earlier. This gave China the chance to develop differently. And China had taken a different path in the 13 years since Mao's death. The students wanted the shadow of Mao to be left entirely behind so that China could become a democracy and corruption be ended. So the Chinese would have a better life and more freedom. [19] Officially, it was said that a riot had to be prevented. The army was supposed to restore peace and order. But there was no turmoil. The only problem was that Deng disagreed with the students. [19] At first, I thought Deng Xiaoping only wanted to intimidate the students and civilians with the army. I never would have believed that he - a Communist Party member who described himself as a revolutionary - would actually order to shoot. Soldiers from your own army shooting at students! That is incredible. ""
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On the suppression of the student protests in 1989, from an ARD interview with Bao Tong, 2014
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bao_Tong
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Bao Tong
Bao Tong (5 November 1932 – 9 November 2022) was a Chinese writer and activist. He was former Director of the Office of Political Reform of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Policy Secretary of Zhao Ziyang, Chinese Premier from 1980 to 1987 and CPC General Secretary from 1987 to 1989. He was also Director of the Drafting Committee for the CPC 13th Party Congresses, known for its strong support for market reform and opening up under Deng Xiaoping.
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