2. CHINA

• Until 1900, China was following an imperial system
• Imperial system had weak power

  • Britain gained great wealth due to the Opium War
  • Japan defeated China
  • France seized territory in the South
• Cause of Boxer Uprising (1898)

  • Emperor Guangxu tried to modernise the government
  • Introduces Hundred Days Reform that were disapproved by Empress Dowager Cixi
  • Chinese hatred of 'foreign devils'
  • Cixi encourages attacks to avoid criticism of imperial rule
• Boxer Uprising (Late 1890s)

  • Peasants that were good at martial arts
  • Attacked Shandong, Hebei, Shanxi, Henan and Beijing
  • 55 day seige
  • Attacked Christian missionaries
  • Burned churches and schools
  • Killed Christians
  • German ambassador was shot in Beijing

  Boxers were executed

  Cixi and Guangxu disguised as peasants and fled
• Impact of Boxer Uprising

  • Cixi's support for the Boxers was a mistake, it damaged her authority
  • Peasants had less trust in imperials
  • Foreign control was tightened
• 1902 - 1911

  • Cixi introduced reforms
  • Too little too late
• Cause of the 1911 Revolution

  • Weak government: 2-year-old emperor
  • Political reforms: too little too late
  • Army reform: too expensive, added taxes
  • Revolutionary ideas: Sun Yat-sen was spreading nationalistic ideas
  • Resentment of Chinese railways: Qing let foreigners take more railways, enraged people
• 1911 Revolution:

  • 9th October: a bomb was accidentally exploded in Hankou
  • 10th October: Hans attacked Manchu soldiers
  • Yuan Shi-kai leads Han soldiers
  • Yuan Shi-kai (former general that wanted revenge for being dismissed)
  • Agreed to put down rebellion for government but changed his mind when he reached Wuhan
  • Returns to Beijing to form Han government
• Impact of the 1911 Revolution:

  • Sun Yat-sen is still in exile when offered the position of president
  • Yuan Shi-kai persuades Sun Yat-sen to let him be president
  • Yuan Shi-kai secretly wants to be an emperor
  • Sun Yat-sen is not powerful enough to stop him and flees to Japan
• 1912-1916, Ruling under Yuan Shikai

  • Yuan rejects democracy
  • Accepts most of Japan's 21 Demands

  December 1915: Army revolts against Yuan Shikai

  • He is forced to abandon plans to be emperor
• Yuan Shikai dies of a stroke in June 1916
• 1916-1927, Warlordism Era

  • No military general could rule China with the same authority as Yuan Shikai
  • Each province was ruled by a powerful local general (warlord)

  Originally, warlords were chosen by Yuan Shikai

  After 1920, other men seized power

  • Did not want to give up private armies
  • Cruel rulers
  • Made agreements with foreign powers

  Because of this, many people turned to revolutionary ideas
• 1917 (Sun Yat-sen)

  • Sets up GMD
  • The 3 Principles of The People (nationalism, democracy, livelihood of the people)
• 1919 (Sun Yat-sen)

  • Treaty of Versailles treats China unfairly

  May the Fourth Movement

  • Bejing university leads protest in Tiananmen Square
  • China does not sign Treaty of Versailles
• 1924 (Sun Yat-sen)

  • Establishes New Republic Army (NRA) to overthrow warlords (Northern Expedition)
• 1925 (Sun Yat-sen)

  • Sun Yat-sen dies of cancer
  • Chiang Kai-shek is leader of GMD
• 1920s (CCP)

  • The Communist Revolution in Russia back in 1917 inspired China
  • May the Fourth Movement spread communist ideas
  • June 1921: CCP is founded in secret

  Chen Duxi is the general secretary

  Mao Zedong is a member

  Russia wants more communist countries

  Makes GMD and CCP to work together

  CCP cannot refuse since Russia funds them
• 1924-1927, Establishment of First United Front

  Goals: to destroy warlords, expel foreigners and improve Chinese lives
• 1926-1928, Northern Expedition

  Tactics:

  • Surround each warlord's army
  • Cut off their supply line
  • Steadily destroy their army
  • Drive warlords out

  Success:

  • Good tactics
  • Good army
  • Gained peasant support
  • And bribery from Chiang Kai-shek
• Even after working with the CCP, Chiang Kai-shek has a hatred for communists
• 1927, Shanghai Massacres

  • More than 5000 communists killed
  • More than 1/4 million killed in Hunan

  The communist army is too small to fight the NRA

  CCP flees to Jiangxi Province mountains

  They stayed for 7 years
• 1930-1934, Extermination Campaigns

  • Chiang Kai-shek believed communists were more dangerous than warlords
  • Kept sending troops to attack CCP

  The first 4 campaigns were not successful

  • Lack of support from peasants (GMD were mean to them)
  • More than a million peasants were killed

  5th campaign was successful

  • Reds forced to fight static wars
  • October 1934, CCP had to abandon Jiangxi
  • They had lost over 60,000 soldiers and more than half of their territory
• 1934-1935, The Long March

  • 80,000 communists broke out
  • Marched north
  • Followed by GMD
  • Fought battles
  • Otto Braun (Comintern adviser) encourages them to fight with GMD
  • Led to heavy losses

  January 1935

  • Mao Zedong and former warlord Zhu De becomes leaders of the CCP
  • Develops new tactics: led Red in surprising directions, divided and regrouped forces

  March 1935

  • Marchers crossed the Yangtse River then the Dadu River
  • 22 soldiers swung across as GMD shot at them

  Extreme conditions (no food, water, warmth)

  Only 10,000 of the 80,000 survived when they arrived in Yanan in October 1935
• Importance of the Long March

  Positive:

  • Excellent propaganda and promoted communism
  • Yanan base was secure for 12 years
  • Mao's position as leader was confirmed
  • Won the support of peasants

  Negative:

  • Lots of losses
  • The west still recognises Chiang's government
  • GMD called it the Great Retreat
  • No certainty that Yanan Soviet would survive
• 1931-1937

  • Japanese always wanted Chinese territories
  • Chiang Kai-shek allowed Japan to strengthen in China which made him not so popular
• 1936, Establishment of the Second United Front

  • Chiang Kai-shek still wants to get rid of communists
  • December 1936: Kidnapped by Zhang Xueliang's troops for 2 weeks
  • Zhang Xueliang was part of GMD and the former warlord of Manchuria
  • Eventually, Chiang Kai-shek signs to work with CCP
• July 1937

  Chiang Kai-shek declares war with Japan
• 1937-1945, Sino-Japanese War

  • GMD and CCP worked separately with a common goal: to remove Japan troops

  First 4 years:

  • Japan captured Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing (GMD capitals)
  • People suffered extreme violence
  • December 1937: Rape of Nanjing
  • 30,000 Chinese killed
  • 20,000 women and girls repeatedly raped

  Last 4 years:

  • 1941: Japan bombs Pearl Harbour
  • Allies (USA, Soviet and Britain) supports China
  • 2 atomic bombs dropped
  • 1945: End of war
• CCP vs GMD during the Sino-Japanese War

  CCP:

  • Powerful force in war
  • Won over peasants
  • gained lots of support and recruits
  • Strong tactics by Mao Zedong

  GMD:

  • Chiang Kai-shek only focused on defeating communists
  • Weak leadership
  • Weak tactics
  • No support with peasants
• 1946, Civil War

  • Chiang Kai-shek wants to get rid of Reds
  • Neither side is prepared

  July 1946 - May 1947

  • GMD captures lots of cities in North
  • CCP loses control of Yanan
  • May 1947: PLA (new CCP army) change to guerrilla tactics
  • Secures Northern Manchuria
  • Strengthens communists

  May 1947 - Nov 1948

  • PLA switches to conventional warfare
  • GMD is cut off from the rest of China

  Dec 1948 - Oct 1949

  • Communists win
• Nov 1948 - Jan 1949, Battle of Huai Hai

  • Chiang Kai-shek makes a stand at Xuzhou
  • Xuzhou is a key site on the Longhai railway
  • PLA was stronger
  • NRA had no food and low resources
  • Chiang Kai-shek did not let anyone retreat
  • GMD loses 200,000 men
  • 10 January 1949: GMD surrenders
• 1 October 1949

  • Mao Zedong declared a new government in Tiananmen Square
  • Chiang Kai-shek flees to Taiwan and sets up an alternative GMD