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Chinese Nationalists oust the last Qing emperor, Puyi
In the early 1900s, foreign countries controlled China's trade and its economic resources. Many Chinese wanted a revolution and believed that modernization and nationalism was necessary for China to survive. In 1911, Revolutionary Alliance , the Nationalist party founded by Sun Yat-Sen before the Kuomintang, overthrew the last emperor of the Qing dynasty, As a result of the removal of Puyi, Sun became the present of the new Republic of China in 1912. -
World War I begins as Austria declares war of Serbia
In the early 1900s, Serbia, where there were many Slavs, hoped to absorb all Slavs in the Balkans. Austria opposed this because they feared a rebellion among its Slavic population. Austria also annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, which angered the Serbian leaders. This "powder keg" of mutual dislike was sparked by the assassination of Archeduke Franz Ferdinand by Serbian Gavrilo Princip. Austria punished Serbia by presenting to them an ultimatum, then declared war because Serbia didn't agree to it. -
U.S. Enters the war
U.S. entered WWI on the Allies' side in 1917. There were 3 main factors that triggered this action. First was the German policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. On 1915, Germany sunk the British Lusitania which killed 128 U.S. citizens, angering the public. Second, the U.S. intercepted a German telegraph to Mexico, saying it would help Mexico "reconquer" U.S. land if it became an ally. Lastly, the U.S. had a stronger bond and stronger economic ties with the Allies. -
Armistice signed as Allies defeat Central Powers
After Russia's withdrawal from WWI and during the Second Battle of the Marne, the Central Powers soon began to crumble. The Bulgarians and Ottoman Turks surrendered, Austria-Hungary had a revolution, and the German soldiers revolted. On Nov. 9, 1918, the Kaiser stepped down. The representing German gov. and the French signed an armistice, and two days later, WWI ended. -
Gandhi leads Indian campaign of civil disobedience
When the British government failed to punish the officers responsible for the Amritsar massacre, Gandhi began his campaign of civil disobedience. He and the Indian National Congress endorsed the deliberate and public refusal to obey an unjust law and nonviolence as the means to achieve independence. His philosophy of satyagraha called for strategies including boycotts, strikes, and demonstrations. -
Mustafa Kemal transforms Turkey into Republic
Mustafa Kemal successfully led Turkish nationalists in fighting against the Greeks and British when Greek soldiers invaded Turkey and threatened to conquer it in 1919. After his victory, Mustafa Kemal became the president of the new Republic of Turkey. He then launched a series of reforms, such as the separation of Islam laws from the nation's laws, abolishment of religious courts, women's right to vote and to hold public offie, and gov.-funded programs to industrialize Turkey. -
MaoZedong heads Long March
The Communists were defeated in the civil war of 1930 between the Nationalists and Communists. After the Communist's defeat, the Nationalists chased away 100,000 Communist forces, who began on a 6,000 mile military retreat. Thousands of Communist soldiers died as a result of the Long March, and during the Long March, MaoZedong walked among the Communists, sending the message that he "was one of them".