Immediate cause of the 1911 Revolution

• • The immediate cause of the 1911 Revolution was the Railway Protection Movement in 1911.
  • In May 1911, the Qing government nationalized the railways in Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong and Sichuan.
  • The Qing government obtained foreign loans for the construction.
  • This triggered strong anti-foreign and nationalistic reactions from local elites and investors.
• • In addition, the gentry, merchants and landlords who had already put in capital in the construction were being given inadequate compensation.
  • The actual compensation the Sichuan people received fell behind that of other provinces because of official corruption.
  • People in Sichuan set up the Railway Protection League in June in an attempt to halt the nationalization.
• • Because of the political unrest in Sichuan, the Qing government transferred the New Army from Hubei to Sichuan.
  • Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, was left undefended.
  • Therefore, the revolutionaries in Wuhan planned an uprising in October 1911.