Compare how international events affected the responses of East Germany’s and China’s governments to the protests of 1989.(1 point)

Question

Responses

Both East Germany and China were part of a larger global trend of collapsing communist rule that led their governments to embrace greater civil liberties and democracy after the protests of 1989.
Both East Germany and China were part of a larger global trend of collapsing communist rule that led their governments to embrace greater civil liberties and democracy after the protests of 1989.

East Germany was isolated from the more general trend of collapsing communist rule that was occurring in 1989, giving its government a greater ability to crack down on protesters. In China, the government’s decision to grant greater civil liberties in the wake of the 1989 protests was heavily influenced by the success of anti-communism in many of its neighboring countries.
East Germany was isolated from the more general trend of collapsing communist rule that was occurring in 1989, giving its government a greater ability to crack down on protesters. In China, the government’s decision to grant greater civil liberties in the wake of the 1989 protests was heavily influenced by the success of anti-communism in many of its neighboring countries.

The governments of both East Germany and China curtailed civil liberties and became less democratic following the protests of 1989, making both countries exceptions to the larger global trend of collapsing communist rule.
The governments of both East Germany and China curtailed civil liberties and became less democratic following the protests of 1989, making both countries exceptions to the larger global trend of collapsing communist rule.

The protests in East Germany in 1989 were part of a larger trend of successes in anti-communist activism in neighboring countries, making it harder for the government to continue to deny citizens’ civil rights. China was more isolated from this larger trend so its government was able to assert firmer control over protests.
The protests in East Germany in 1989 were part of a larger trend of successes in anti-communist activism in neighboring countries, making it harder for the government to continue to deny citizens’ civil rights. China was more isolated from this larger trend so its government was able to assert firmer control over protests.

Answer 1

The most accurate comparison of how international events affected the responses of East Germany and China to the protests of 1989 would be:

The governments of both East Germany and China curtailed civil liberties and became less democratic following the protests of 1989, making both countries exceptions to the larger global trend of collapsing communist rule.

In context, East Germany experienced significant protests that were part of a broader wave of anti-communist movements in Eastern Europe, leading to the eventual fall of the Berlin Wall. However, despite the surrounding changes, East Germany's government initially crack downed on dissent before ultimately collapsing. Conversely, China responded to the Tiananmen Square protests with a brutal suppression, maintaining a strong grip on power and civil liberties, which represented a departure from the global trend towards democratization seen in many other communist states during the same period. Both governments' responses reflected a conservative tightening of control rather than an embrace of reform or liberalization, aligning them against the prevailing international currents of the time.