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Abdication of Emperor Puyi
After a brief reign, Emperor Puyi was pressured to abdicate, officially ending the 267 year old Qing Dynasty along with the 2,000 year-old imperial system. As a result,Yuan Shikai, a Chinese military official, was given complete authority and became the first president of China. Shikai, however, eventually went through a number of political tragedies and in response, sought to preserve his authority. Following his death, China was left without a leader, leading to years of political turmoil. -
Japan seizes control of Shandong
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"New Youth" magazine was founded by Chen DuXiu
On September 15, 1915, a dean at Peking University named Chen Duxiu established the "New Youth" magazine, also known as Xinqingnian (新靑年). Through his writing, he entertained western ideals and hoped that China would soon follow in their footsteps. This upset many individuals in China, causing many to believe that it may have helped spark the protests that were soon to come. -
Significance Cont. - "New Youth" magazine was founded by Chen DuXiu
Another reason why the creation of the magazine was so significant was because the founding publisher, Chen Duxiu, ended up establishing a communist party that would eventually become China's sole ruling party for decades. -
Significance - "New Youth" magazine was founded by Chen DuXiu
In various "New Youth" publications, Chen Duxiu, with the assistance of other writers such as Hu Chi, Lun Xun, and Li Zhidao, promoted the idea of a cultural, political, and social revolution in order to bring life to the country. This is important because we will see later on how the viewpoint expressed in these magazines impacted people in China and how different those perspectives were from one another. -
"Our final awakening" by Chen DuXiu was published
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Paris Peace Conference Cont.
In response, students from several colleges staged mass protests in an effort to encourage China to decide against signing the treaty. -
Paris Peace Conference
The Paris Peace Conference was an international gathering of foreign leaders. In short, China's main objective at this conference was to regain complete control of Shandong, which had been seized by Japan in 1914. However, the Allied powers believed that it would be best to hand over former German possessions in the Shandong province to Japan. The treaty that followed from their conference, which ultimately ended World War One, had angered the people of China. -
Significance - Paris Peace Conference
The Treaty of Versailles, which peacefully brought an end to World War I, was the outcome of the Paris Peace Conference. A particular article in the treaty states that all former German possessions of Shandong were to be ceded to Japan, which resulted in another significant impact where it sparked the infamous May 4th movement. -
Significance Cont. - Paris Peace Conference
Consequently, the protests impacted the country socially with many workers going on strike and also politically when they dismissed many pro-japanese officials and refused to sign the treaty. Due to their inability to benefit from the Conference, the Chinese people felt deceived by both the allied powers and their own leader. During the protests, many people sacrificed their lives in support of their values and beliefs. -
Start of the May 4th Movement Cont.
A couple of students even lost their lives after being manhandled by officers. To take things a step further, they boycotted Japanese goods and held protests until June. China eventually gave in, dismissing three pro-Japanese officials, releasing those detained during the protests, and most importantly, refusing to sign the Treaty of Versailles. -
Start of the May 4th Movement
On May 4th 1919, over 3,000 people, most of them being students from 13 colleges in Beijing organized a protest against the Treaty of Versailles in front of Tiananmen Square (the Gate of Heavenly Peace). They were enraged with the treaty, and disappointed with how the leaders of their country handled the situation. On that day, students assaulted and set fire to several homes owned by pro-Japanese officials. -
Significance Cont. - Beijing government uses military forces to control student meetings and riots
This is significant because the police and government soon realized that the more they tried to suppress these protests, the more motivation it gave the students to strengthen and carry on. Eventually, this resulted in the general strike that ended up influencing workers and merchants from Shanghai and other cities. -
Significance - Beijing government uses military forces to control student meetings and riots
On May 14th 1919, the government tried to prevent more student activities that would advance these protests. Through the police, the government attempted to end the student’s strike as well as force them to return to class. To take it a step further, they even planned to use military force against them in order to frighten everyone and stop the creation of new student organizations. -
Students from Beijing begin the general strike
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Significance - Workers & merchants from Shanghai and other cities went on strike in support of the students
Starting on June 1, shop owners stated that they would do anything it took in support of the students. Thus, on the morning of June 5, students took to the streets while shopkeepers shut their doors. This act quickly spread throughout Shanghai, and what began as a small strike of merchants, became a strike of almost 60,000 workers. This is significant because Shanghai was the center of employment and other economic matters, necessitating government intervention. -
Significance Cont. - Workers & merchants from Shanghai and other cities went on strike in support of the students
Luckily, the military governor of Shanghai was able to intervene and pushed the Beijing authorities to take action. In the end, the Treaty of Versailles was not signed by China, confirming that the efforts of many people did not go to waste. -
China refuses to sign the Treaty of Versailles
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Communist Party was established
After the May 4th Movement, the Communist Party of China was established. This new political party was founded by revolutionary socialists like Chen Duxiu and Li Zhidao. They believed that China needed to follow western ideologies to become a better and stronger country overall. The Russian Bolshevik revolution and Marxist theory primarily influenced the principles and intentions of this party. -
Significance Pt.1- Communist Party was established
A little while after the party was established, tensions rose between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Kuomintang (KMT). This resulted in a war which the CPC eventually won.Years later, this party was able to transform the country into the second-largest socialist nation. Whether individuals like to admit it or not, this party has had a huge impact on the country. -
Significance Pt.2 - Communist Party was established
Since the CPC was founded, economic growth has definitely risen greatly and millions of people have been lifted out of poverty. The CPC was able to incorporate its own principles and standards, and in result, helped to guide China toward prosperity and success. Although the country eventually became a global power, the journey to this point was not without its challenges. -
Significance Pt.3 - Communist Party was established
For instance, during the period that Mao Zedong, the leader at the time, tried to quicken China's industrial development, nearly 30 million people in China died from starvation. -
Washington Conference
With Shandong still under Japanese control, China sought to regain its lost territory. This brings us to the February 4, 1922, Washington Conference, where China and Japan had reached a settlement over territorial matters. Finally, Japan had agreed to withdraw their troops from Shandong, however in return China was required to pay compensation. Through this treaty, China was also able to retake control of Jiaozhou Bay and a railway that had previously been under German authority.
