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Mayor Timespan
Timespan in which events that follow the Chinese Revolution occur. -
Nationalists Overthrow Qing Dynasty (Wuchang Uprising)
The First Opium War between Brittain and China took place in between the 17th and 18th centuries, which led to the Treaty of Nanking. The treaty, which was supposed to be "fair", basically gave Brittain territory, and ports, leaving China with few control over trade in those ports. This event humiliated China, and even more their leaders: The Quing Dynasty. To make the country look stronger and important again, Chinese people wanted a change of modernization. Finally, W.Uprising defeated Quing. -
Foundation of the New Republic of China
Among large groups looking for modernization, there was the Kuomintang Party, which was leaded by Sun Yixian, who had lived in the United States. Suposing that in the U.S Yixian had learned many political-structure ideas, the K. Party's believes could have been influenced. Yixian soon became president, holding his title for six weeks. As a president, he believed that a modern government could be stablished upon the "Three Principles of People". -
Yuan Shikai's Dictatorship
Despite Yixian's well structured "plan", he lacked authority and military power to reach his goals as a president, so he turned over to Yuan Shikai, a powerfull general. Soon after being in command, Shikai betrayed the democratic ideas of the revolution and became dictator. During this time revolts sparked, in which generals refused to fight rebels. Time passed ,and as a consequence Shikai died, leaving the country in total chaos. Although Yixian tried to organize the situation, civil war broke. -
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The Start of a New Republic
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World War I Involvement
The civil war was fought in between powerfull warlords, who terrorized peasants. As a consequence, famine broke out. In the meantime World War I took place. By this year (1917), the government in Beijing, hoping for an allied victory, declared war against Germany. This was an attempt to gain back territory lost in Opium wars from Brittain, but in the Treaty of Versailles, they got the teritory that Germany had lost against the Allies back then. Meanwhile, China's situation didn't cahnge a bit. -
May Fourth Movement
When news of Treaty of Versailles reached China, outrage swept the country. As a consequence, in this date 30,000 angry students gathered in the center of Beijing to protest. Among the angry students was Mao Zedong, who would later become China's greatest revolutionary leader. The demontration spread throughout the country, making other cities explode, and making a national movement. Among revolutionaries was Yixian, who had no athority as a leader, so many people turned him for Lenin's Ideals. -
Foundation of the Chinese Communist Party
Around this date, many revolutionaries gathered in Beinjing and Shangai University to doscuss Marx's revolutionary beliefs. This group of revolutionaries began to see the SSR under Lenin as a model for political and economic change. Among these revolutionaries was Mao Zedong, and with everyones support, they founded for once and for all the Chinese Communist Party. -
Lenin Befriends China
While the Communist Party was forming, the Nationalists, headed by Sun Yixian also turned their backs onto western ideals and democracies, which led to the allied Communist and Nationalist Parties. The allied parties soon became formal after western governments failed to aid nationalists. Soon Lenin offered China millitary support in an attempt to obtain worldwide revolution. -
Nationalists and Cummunists Fight For Control
Sun Yixian died being leader of the Nationalist party, leaving in charge Chiang Kai-shek, who feared the Communist goal of creating a socialist economy. At first, the differences between the parties were put aside and working together, they defeated warlords. Soon after the vicory, Chiang turned against the communists and wipping out almost half of them. Then, he became president, which infuriated cummunists, and at the same time, acted as an incentive for civil war. -
Peasants Align Themselves with the Communists
Chiang's government had promised democracy and political rights to all Chinese, but each time, his government became less democratic and more corrupt. Besides, Chiang did nothing to improve peasant's lives, but life in cities he did modernize. As a result,the mayority of peasantsturned their backsto Chiang and joined the communist party. Mao Zedong divided land among peasants toenlist them. Chiang organized a rampage in which many com. wherekilled, but Mao escaped and supportedthe partyfrom Rus. -
Beggining of Civil War and Manchuria´s Invation
With the beggining of a vast Civil War, the communist's stablished themselfs on the hills of south-central China. During this time, Mao recruited peasants and teached them on guerilla warfare, making these peasants, part of the Communist Red Army. As the civil war progressed, the Japanese watched and aimed the rev. as an opportunity to invade Manchuria. -
Communist´s get Surrounded
By this date, Chiang Kai-shek had gathered an army of at leas 70,000 men and with them, he sorrounded the communist's mountain stronghold. At first site, it was for sure a plain victory for the Nationalists, but the Communists evacuated the attack through a escape route, which was the Long March (Lasting over a year). From 100,000 people who started the march it went to 30,000 people. Survivors hid in caves in northwestern China, and meanwhile, Japan brutally attacked China. -
Communist´s Long March
The Communist Long March was more kind of a cahse between Nationalists and Communists which laste over a year (from 1933-1934). It's important to understand that the Communist's survived with hunger and combats against Nationalists, though not all survived. Actually, form 100,000 communists only 30,000 survived to the long march. In conclusion, the Long March was a huge disadvantage for communists. -
Japan Brutally Attacks China
By this time, the Japanese still saw the struggles in China with rising interest, which made them in the first place invade Manchuria. In second place, they launched an all-out invasion of China, causing bombings and farm damages, which at the same time caused starvation. The presence of Japan and it's invasion was an uneasy truce between both Mao and Chiang, so they temporarily stopped the fight between them, and started to fight against Japan. -
Temporal "Peace" Between Nationalists and Communist´s
World War II took place, and luckily for them, China fought on the side of the victorious allies, but Japan fought on the side of the losers, which debilitaded Japan inmensely, so the Communist's started to fight hardly with guerilla warfare against the Japanese (much more than the nationalists did, because they thought they nedded to save strength to later combat the communists). With China's victory over invading Japan, both parties resumed the civil war, and "peace" didn't last for much. -
End of World War II & Nationalist Aid
With the end of World War II and the resumed civil war between both Chinese parties, the United States of America had developed certain "not agreeance" with communism, so they saw the opportunitty in China to help the Nationalists in whatever way posible or with wathever aid posible (although not like the US was going to expend ALOT on Nationalists). Besides, the US even started to aid the Nationalists before Japan lost against them, being kind of "ahead" of what was going to happen afterwards. -
The Red Army
Nationalists were still receiving economycal aid from the United States to strengthen their millitary and although their troops were three tmies greater than the Communist's, they did little to gain popular support in their army and with people in the country. With China's economy collapsing, many Natinoalist militars turned their back onto nationalist leaders and joined Mao's forces to make the Red Army. In the other hand, Communist's gained a lot of popular support from people. -
Involvement of The United States
Although the victory for the Communist Party was near, the United States was still a vigorous enemy of socialism, and to prevent Lenin's goal of reaching a worldwide socialist revolution, the US fought hard to help with aid the Naionalist Party in China until they didn't do more because before they could plan a "stand-up", Mao's Red Army was pushing nationalist's eastwards in an attempt to throw them out of the country. -
The People´s Republic of China
On their way to the east, the remaining Nationalist leaders and followers stole many cultural importances of China so they could later preserve them in Taiwan, were they retreated and the United States helped them build a government there, which was called Nationalist China. With Nationalists out of their way, Communists could now establish a centralized government, which was called the People's Republic of China. The new republic was leaded by it's president Mao Zedong, friend with Lenin (Rus).
