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1911 - Fall of The Qing Dynasty
A new Chinese republic took shape after the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911. Nationalists like Sun Yixian set the goal of “catching up and surpassing the powers, east and west.” But there is a problem - the Chinese are not united by a national identity. Instead, they are more loyal to their family and clan. Sun Yixian steps down. He hopes his replacement, Yuan Shikai, can unite the people and create a strong, centralized government. -
1916 - More Division
Yuan Shikai did not manage to unite China. When he died in 1916, different war lords fight for control of different areas of China. Famine leaves people hungry. -
1919 - More Foreign Control
Japan, which wants to eventually make China a protectorate (like a colony), receives control over some former German possessions in China. -
1919 - May Fourth Movement
Chinese nationalists are infuriated by Japan's new control of Germany's possessions in China. They say "China's land may be conquered, but it cannot be given away!" They felt like their land was just handed over to Japan. These reformers support modernizing and industrializing. They support Western ideas of democracy and nationalism -
Nationalists vs Communists
Sun Yixian returns. He creates a nationalist government with democratic ideas in south China. He plans to defeat the warlords and unite China. The Nationalists wind up fighting the Communists, who they see as their enemies. Now led by Mao Zedong, the Communists are forced to flee during the "Long March." Most Communists die, but those that survive gain more followers among the lower, peasant classes. -
1937 - Rape of Nanjing
In the early 1930s, the Japanese took over Manchuria in China. in 1937, they attacked again. Japan invades the city of Nanjing. Even after the Chinese surrendered the city, the Japanese killed hundreds of thousands of civilians and soldiers. The Chinese Nationalists and Chinese Communists combine to fight off the Japanese invasion. This war will become a part of WW2. -
Communist Victory
Following the Sino-Japanese War and WW2, the Communist Party took control of China. The Nationalist Party was forced to flee to Taiwan. Today, there are two different Chinas - the Communist People's Republic of China and the democratic Republic of China located in Taiwan.