Part 2/9:
Mao's death in September 1976 initiated a power vacuum that tested the ideological tenets of the Communist Party. The Cultural Revolution left a society fractured, with rising tensions exemplified by a burgeoning protest at Tiananmen Square in April of that year—an event memorializing the revered former premier, Zhou Enlai. The protest was a manifestation of the people's hunger for change, led by the desire to honor officials who prioritized the people's welfare over blind adherence to Maoist doctrine. Yet it was met with brutal suppression, illustrating the lengths to which the ruling elite would go to maintain control amidst growing dissent.