Yahobang Hu Research Paper

Yaobang Hu was an instrumental figure in inspiring the student protesters in China. He was able to rise through the ranks of the Chinese government and at one point was the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, the Party’s top position. Hu advocated for greater freedoms in choosing occupations, more liberalized economic policies, and a halt to corruption within the government. It was Hu’s ideas that resonated with the Chinese protesters. However, Hu’s Western-like ideas were seen as radical by many corrupt officials and Hu quickly fell out of favor in the government. During his time, he tried to listen to the Chinese people and reform accordingly. Hu assisted his mentor, Deng Xiaoping, in the “Four Modernizations” which was originally intended to strengthen various industries in China. This movement led the Chinese people to advocate a fifth modernization, democracy. Eventually, talk about the fifth modernization led to the creation of the Democratic Wall, a place where Chinese citizens gathered and expressed their desires about the future of democracy in China. Hu acknowledged the people's …show more content…
Being one of the few people in the Chinese government who was not corrupt, Hu was able to effectively inspire the Chinese protesters and give them hope. He was able to appease some of their pleas by instituting reforms that were focused on emancipating thought, increasing the number of elected governmental positions, and separating state and party. Although these plans were short lived, he gave the protesters hope that serious change could be achieved. Hu’s death marked an important event as it filled many student protesters with even more determination to carry out his views. Even though Yaobang Hu was not alive to see the Tiananmen Square Massacre, it was his influence that led the protesters to keep fighting for more