You may see the term “Tiananmen Square” frequently in the news this next week. A quarter century ago, a movement in that square in Beijing, China, for more democracy, was crushed by authorities in June, 1989. Hundreds of students are estimated to have been killed, perhaps more.

The watershed year 1989, however, was not over. In the autumn, countries in eastern Europe, starting with Poland, erupted with “democracy fever,” leading to their departure from the Soviet Union. Before the year ended, tentative beginnings toward democratic governments in these countries stumbled forward.

Spring, 1989, had seen the movement in China smothered by the military. However, in November of that same year, the barrier between East and West Germany in Berlin—”the Wall”—fell.

More recently, Arab movements toward more inclusive governments appear to have birthed more failures than successes. And what about Ukraine?

The story continues to write itself—successes and failures—but it’s not over. We wait for more chapters. In the meantime, read a moving story from an American who was in Tiananmen Square at the time.