The experiences of the hundreds of cities throughout China where Communist Party leaders exercised relative restraint during the protests, blockades, and strikes offer countless alternative paths and show how unnecessary it was for the PLA to open fire in Beijing on June 3 and 4. Student leaders thought that bloodshed in Beijing would spark a nationwide uprising. Enraged protesters did shut down traffic and tried to organize strikes, but failed to bring about regime change. One alternative path in 1989 was 1911-style provincial declarations of independence. But in 1989, local leaders were not inclined to turn against the Party to which they owed their careers and political futures.