From childhood to adulthood, you can often hear the quote “knowledge is power.” It's a quote usually drilled into the heads of kids from elementary school to college to encourage them to pursue an education. As much as privileged students roll their eyes when saying this quote, it is difficult to deny the weight of truth in this quote when examining the history of many countries. This is especially true during times of oppressive rule. Freedom of the press, information and lines of communication are usually the main thing to limit when you want complete control over a group of people. The shadow of ignorance is used to blind the oppressed and keep/hide them in the dark about any potential help. In 1989, student demonstrations broke out in Beijing, China, in Tiananmen Square. Since the 1970s, China had been going through economic reforms under Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese leader. As time passed, complaints were made about inflation, poor job opportunities and suspected corruption in the National Party. Communist governments in Eastern Europe were failing, leading to unrest and a loss of confidence among Chinese citizens. The breaking point was “the death of the reformist CCP General Secretary Hu Yaobang” on April 15, 1989 (online). Students gathered in the square to mourn Yaobang's death. According to the Berkshire Encyclopedia of China, the government-run press has fabricated what is really happening and has attempted to taint the image of the protesters: The party's mouthpiece, the People's Daily, published an editorial on April 26 accusing a "handful of conspirators" to create "riots” with the aim of overthrowing the regime. The next day, 200,000 students from over forty universities marched to denounce the evil mistreatment of the slave dissatisfied with their situation, the slaves could not effectively rebel because they did not have enough knowledge and information to do so. Knowledge is truly a power that can be used to help you or used against you. It can help you be in control or be controlled. For this reason, in many civil wars, freedom of the press and speech are constantly defended. Without knowledge, a person is subject to the control of a person with greater knowledge. Works Cited James, CLR The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Overture and the Revolution of St. Domingo. 2nd ed. Revised. New York: Vintage, 1989. “Tiananmen Square.” Berkshire Encyclopedia of China: Modern and historical views of the world's newest and oldest global power. Great Barrington: Berkshire PublishingGroup, 2009. Reference creed. Network. May 10 2012.