Did the Tiananmen Square protests and crackdown happen in 1989?

Yes, the Tiananmen Square protests and crackdown took place in 1989. Student-led demonstrations calling for political reform, free speech, and an end to corruption began in Beijing in April 1989 and grew to include hundreds of thousands of participants over the following weeks. The protests were centered in Tiananmen Square and spread to other cities across China.

The Chinese government declared martial law and, on the night of June 3–4, 1989, sent military troops and tanks into Beijing to clear the square and suppress the demonstrations, resulting in a violent crackdown with significant loss of life among protesters and civilians. The exact death toll remains unknown and disputed to this day, as the Chinese government has never released official figures and continues to heavily censor discussion of the events.