China after World War I

 

 

Background

Late 19th century China was racked with internal turmoil (Taiping rebellion) as well as external pressures (Unequal treaties, Opium Wars).  Qing leaders realized change was necessary and inaugurated the Self Strengthening Movement in the 1860s and 70s, a movement to incorporate Western learning and industry into China without compromising China’s Confucian values.  It did not work and in the latter years of the 19th century foreign powers began to pick apart China’s tributary system: France took Vietnam, Britain took Burma and Japan helped Korea gain independence.  Resentment of foreign influence led to the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, but foreign troops put it down.  The Qing Dynasty was in its death throes.  The last Confucian civil service examination was given in 1905 ending thus ending one of the most continuous intellectual\political traditions in history.  The Qing itself finally fell in 1912. 

 

Sun Yatsen led revolt which overthrew the Qing in 1911 and established a Republic in 1912,

Starts Chinese Nationalist Party

he based his rule on three principles:

1) nationalism (overthrow of Qing and recovery of trade rights from western powers)

2) democracy, liberal representative government

3) industrial socialism and land reform

 

Despite Yatsen’s republic, rule quickly disintegrated into rule by Local Warlords and former bandits. One of these warlords was the actual ruler of China.

 

Meanwhile the Chinese eagerly awaited the completion of the Paris Peace conference and had high hopes that the Treaty of Versailles would break the unequal treaties and imperialism which had embarrassed them since the Opium Wars. They were severely disillusioned by the outcome. Wilson’s anti-imperialism turned out to be a shame; the treaty favored Japanese control of China.

 

May Fourth Movement (1919)

disillusionment with west who gave into demands of Japan at Versailles

forced government not to sign Treaty of Versailles which favored Japanese interests

 

Youth mobilized, Chinese Communist Party begins, nationalism grows stronger.

 

Sun Yatsen goes to Soviet Union for help, receives training, money.  The CNP takes in many members of the CCP. 

 

Northern Expedition

The CNP, aided by the CCP, marched to the north and conquered Warlords, brought more unified rule to China.  Stalin thought this marriage of convenience should be abandoned after unification and the communists should come into power.  The CNP will be dropped like so many squeezed lemons. 

 

But the reverse happened. The CNM expelled all members of the CCP and killed as many of them as possible.

 

Massacres in 1928 ended communist resistance, they had to go out into countryside.  The Nationalists hunted them down, Mao Zedong leads the Long March to gather all communists and regroup in northern provinces.  They succeed despite attempts to exterminate them.

 

Settled in the poorest region of the north, Mao gains large peasant support and declares a Chinese communist Republic.  However, in this agricultural area there are no urban workers, no proletariat which Marx believed was necessary for revolution.  Mao alters Marxism to hold that the revolution will come from the peasants, not the urban workers.