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The Boxer Rebellion saw peasants rejecting all European influences and besieging foreign embassies. In response, a joint European retaliation crushed the rebellion, and heavy reparations were imposed on China.
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Organized by Sun Yat-sen, the Xinhai revolution was the culmination of discontent in the ruling class, the army, and peasantry, and ended in the abdication of the last Chinese emperor
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Following the Xinhai revolution, the Republic of China was established in Nanjing with Sun Yat-sen serving as provisional President. Lacking military, Sun soon allied with Warlord Yuan Shikai.
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The Guomindang (GMD) is founded by Sun Yat-sen based on the Three Principles (national freedom, democratic government, and the people's welfare) in an effort to unite China
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The democratically-elected President of the Republic, Song Jiaoren, is assassinated by Yuan Shikai who assumed the presidency. Yuan had no interest in the GMD's reforms, instead assuming dictatorial power.
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The 1917 Russian Revolution saw the rise of the first Communist state, popularizing Communist ideas in China due to the similarities between the two countries.
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The Fourth of May movement was in response to Shandong province being given to Japan at the end of WWI, confirming China's weakness and leading to mass protests.
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The Communist Manifesto was translated into Chinese for the first time, leading to the spread of Marxist ideas and greatly influenced the founders of the Communist party
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Chen Duxiu officially founds the Communist Party based on Leninist ideals of encouraging the working class to revolt after purging the anarchists, and receives aid from Russia
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The First United Front between the GMD and CCP is brokered by Russia, as the larger and more popular GMD was seen as the more likely instigator of change.
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The death of Sun Yat-sen led to a power vacuum within the GMD, soon filled by his protege and general, Jiang Jieshi, marking the beginning of GMD territorial expansion
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The Northern Expedition was a joint effort between the CCP and GMD to consolidate territory and conquer independent Warlords and was a monumental step in unifying China
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Jiang suddenly turned on the Communists after the Northern Expedition, ordering a massive and brutal purge of all Communists in Shanghai. The massacre spurred Communist protests in other cities.
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The five encirclement campaigns were an effort to surround the Jiangxi Soviet and exterminate them. The last three campaigns were successful, forcing the Communists to disperse and flee
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The Jiangxi Soviet was a peasant government established by Mao as the base of his power and recruitment efforts, soon amassing a substantial fighting force and widespread peasant support
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Japan invades Manchuria, leading to a 5-month occupation and the establishment of a puppet government, eventually leading to the Marco Polo Bridge Incident and war with the GMD and CCP
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The Long March was the Red Army's escape to Xi'An after Jiang's Encirclement campaigns. The march saw heavy casualties as well as the confirmation of Mao's status as leader
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The New Life Movement, headed by Sung Meiling supplanted the Western ideals of the May 4th Movement with traditionalist Confucian ideals as the ideology of the GMD
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Jiang is kidnapped by subordinate Warlord Zhang Xueliang, and is only released after reluctantly agreeing to a Second United Front to fight against the Japanese invasion but tensions persist
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The Rape of Nanjing was a terror campaign orchestrated by Japanese forces after GMD forces fled the city. Innumerable war crimes were committed as the city's population was massacred.
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The Marco Polo Bridge Incident, fought between the GMD and Japanese Army, was initated by Japanese forces as pretext to the Second Sino-Japanese war, indirectly spawning the Second United Front.
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The Rectification Campaign is launched by Mao in Xi'an to reject Soviet influence, consolidate his power, and silence dissent by forcing party officials to admit mistakes.
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The Civil War resumes as Japan unconditionally surrenders. The US attempts to broker a coalition between the CCP and GMD but fails. Jiang, leveraging numerical superiority, obtains US support.
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Mao directs the Red Army to attack Manchuria, isolating swathes of Nationalist forces, and eventually gains numerical superiority, proceeding to win decisive victories and capture Nationalist strongholds
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After taking all GMD-held cities, Mao forces the GMD out of mainland China and onto the island of Taiwan and proclaims the creation of the People's Republic of China