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Period: to
China 1911-1949
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Chinese Revolution of 1911
A group of revolutionaries led a revolt in southern China against the Qing Dynasty, successfully ending the imperial system and establishing the Republic of China. This event marks the beginning of a new Chinese republic and the end to the rule of dynasties. -
Sun Yatsen President of the Republic of China
Sun Yatsen, a Chinese revolutionary, becomes the first president of China as the leader of the Nationalist party. However he stepped down after 2 years of presidency due to pressure from military leader Yuan Shikai who would now take office. Sun Yatsen is referred to as the “Father of China.” -
May Fourth Movement
On May 4th, 3,000 students from the Beijing University took the streets in protest of the Chinese governments “weak” response to the Treaty of Versailles that had ignored all Chinese demands. This event marks a turning point for Chinese politics. It illustrates the involvement of young citizens in Chinese affairs. -
Chinese Communist Party
With all the demand for change and further intellectual development, many turned to Communism as a political ideology fit for China. In 1921, Chen Duxiu, a student that was present during the May Fourth Movement, Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, established the Chinese Communist Party that would rule China for many decades. -
The Northern Expedition
During the early 1920s, China was facing a new threat. Aside from the internal fighting that took place amongst Chinese warlords, China now had to worry about a potential Japanese invasion. The newly establish Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Kuomintang (KMT) joined forces to create the First United Front with their forces making up the National Revolutionary Army (NRA). The NRA launched the North Expedition to conquer the warlords. The expedition was successful in uniting the nation. -
Shanghai Massacre
The expedition was successful in uniting the nation but now a new problem arose. The United Front was not at all united and a power struggle was now evident. On April 12th 1927 Chiang’s (KMT leader) forces captured Shanghai and opened fire on his Communist allies, killing many of the party founders. Over 1000 Communists were arrested, 300 were officially executed whilst another 5,000 went missing. This silenced the Communist voice in the alliance and ended the United Front as a whole. -
Chiang Kai-shek Comes to Power
Chiang Kai-shek was declared the new head of government of the national government. His government was an effective military dictatorship. His government ignored the need for reforms and the extreme poverty the majority of the population faced and rather represented the elite. This helped the Communist regroup under the leadership of Mao Zedong who would target unhappy poor peasants to help with his plans. -
Regrouping of Communist Party and Creation of the Red Army
Feeling angry and betrayed, Communist party members regrouped in guerilla bases in the countryside. Mao Zedong commanded the main base located in the Jiangxi Province. He believed that the key to Communism laid with the peasants not the workers. Mao recruited men who were struck by poverty because of the Chiang regime and other workers to form his Red Army. -
Japanese Invasion
While Chiang’s army were chasing after the Red Army, Japanese forces invaded Manchuria and installed Pu Yi, the last emperor of the Qing dynasty, as its leader. Mao Zedong wrote to Chiang Kai-shek to end the civil war and join forces to concentrate on the common enemy. -
The Long March
After repeated attacks by Chiang’s army, the Red Army was forced into a retreat out of their main base. This became known as the Long March. The Red Army started the march with 87,000 soldiers escaping their base for another in Yunnan. Less than 10,000 men had survived the march that was 9,000 kilometers long and lasted 368 days. -
The Xi'an Incident
A former warlord of Manchuria who felt Chiang’s response to the invasion was weak and did not support commanders arrested Chiang and his entourage. The Xi’an Incident was the turning point of the Chinese Civil War and took place right before the Second Sino-Japanese War. It brought the Communist Party and the Kuomintang back together for the Second United Front. -
The Rape of Nanking
By 1937(Second Sino-Japanese War), Japan had progressed into China. 95% of the Chinese population was under Japanese rule. The Japanese were inhumane to the Chinese. During the Rape of Nanking, 20,000 women were raped and 330,000 civilians were killed. Communists continued to organize in the countryside and resist Japanese occupation. Chiang’s army however, focused on its ongoing hunt of the Red Army. The Communist Party became popular for their aggressive resistance against the Japanese. -
End of Japanese Occupation
The end of World War II indicated the Japanese surrender of China in 1945. The end of the Second Sino-Japanese War also indicated an end to the Second United Front. This would increase tension between the CCP and KMT who have been fighting for power for years. -
Civil Unrest
War broke out between the CCP and KMT. The Chinese Communist Party was able to defeat the corrupt KMT and began their final revenge on their rivals. This marks the beginning of Communist China. -
The People's Republic of China
The end of the civil war. The Chinese Communist Party have come to power after Chiang Shai-shek and KMT officials fled to Taiwan. Mao Zadong formally establishes the People's Republic of China with Beijing its capital.
