Did the Tiananmen Square protests and crackdown happen in 1989?

Yes, the Tiananmen Square protests and the subsequent government crackdown (often called the Tiananmen Square Massacre or June Fourth Incident) occurred in 1989.[1]

Student-led pro-democracy demonstrations began in mid-April 1989 in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square (and spread to other cities), sparked by the death of reformist official Hu Yaobang. Protesters, including students, workers, and others, called for political reforms, an end to corruption, greater press freedom, and democracy. The protests grew significantly, with hundreds of thousands (at peaks, over a million) participating. Martial law was declared in Beijing on May 20, 1989.[2][3]

On the night of June 3–4, 1989, the Chinese government deployed the People’s Liberation Army with tanks and troops using live ammunition to clear the square and surrounding areas. This resulted in hundreds to thousands of deaths (exact figures are disputed; official Chinese figures are lower, around 200+, while independent estimates range from several hundred to over 2,000 or more) and many injuries, primarily among civilians blocking the troops’ advance in the streets leading to the square. Most remaining protesters in the square itself were allowed or compelled to leave. The events are extensively documented by contemporary news reports, eyewitness accounts, diplomatic cables, and historical analyses from sources including Britannica, BBC, CNN, The Washington Post, Amnesty International, and academic/historical records.[1][4][5][6]

The Chinese government refers to it as the “political turmoil between the spring and summer of 1989” and has heavily censored discussion of it domestically, but the historical occurrence in 1989 is a well-established fact internationally.