“If you followed the events in China over this year and you have contradictory impressions of what happened, then I think you’ve been following things closely and are making progress in your understanding of China”—Brantley Womack, NIU professor of political science.

A five member panel of NIU students and faculty met Wednesday at the Carl Sandburg Auditorium of the Holmes Student Center to discuss the effects economics, history, spiritualism and politics had on the creation of the democratic movement and subsequent violent crackdown in Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

Peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations by college students began in China April 15.

Chinese military dispersed the demonstrators from Tiananmen Square on June 4 by using tanks and soldiers. The number of deaths is impossible to confirm, but is estimated at more than 1,000.

“The conservatives considered this a confrontation with the old system of party monopoly of power,” said Womack. “Something that they could not abide, something that was undermining their system.”

Womack saw the declaration of martial law by the Chinese government as being a “response to the popular support of the movement.”

“Some of the most remarkable scenes of modern politics perhaps was the stopping of the army by the people in the initial days of martial law,” said Womack.

Sociology Professor Kevin Anderson, said he believes support from workers added pressure to the government. Many workers threatened to strike if the students’ demands were not met.

When martial law was declared, many workers blocked the military from reaching the students by placing themselves in between. When the military began firing on the students, many workers came out of their homes with self-made weapons to try and defend the students, said Anderson.

Sociology Professor Richard Quinney, said democracy in China, if attained, will be different than that in the U.S. because of the importance of spiritualism. Towism, which was established in 400 B.C., is at the base of most of the traditional Chinese philosophies, and is what Quinney used to explain the possible democratic differences that might exist.

Quinney said if democracy is obtained a more ethical government will be required by the people. According to Towism, leaders would have to admit faults and be open to change, and lead without using fear tactics.

Yandi Hu, a graduate economic student, believes that worker support for the demonstrations was a result of the inability for the average worker to participate in a market economy that was developing.

Hu said food prices almost tripled in seven to eight years when the government began to run out of money.

Since the government crackdown in June, Hu said the government lost its legitimacy. He said three to five years from now China will again have the opportunity to express its views on democracy.

Dan Wallen, a political science graduate student, said that 72 percent of Americans believe that a civil war is necessary if China still desires a democratic government.

Wallen also believes that the American media gave a “filtered” account of what happened in China. He stated that this possibly misled people to believe that China desires a Western concept of democracy when that might not be the case.

Sudent Association President Huda Scheidelman, said she was pleased with the panel discussion’s attendance, but was hoping for a larger turnout.

Scheidelman said the Chinese should be allowed to develop an “independent interpretation” of democracy for themselves.