The Republic of China

Ch. 26 (pp. 764 – 766), Ch. 28 (pp. 812 – 814), Ch. 29 (pp. 841 – 851)

China, Japan and the Western Powers

Post 1850:o China resisted Western influence > became weakero Japan industrialized/modernized > became stronger

Japan Confronts China Japan industrialized to avoid

European imperialism, instead used its industry to create its own empire

Yamagata Aritomao Meiji prime minister interested in

maintaining Japan’s “sphere of influence” in Korea, Manchuria and parts of China• Required

militarization/industrialization in those territories

1894, Sino-Japanese War forced Chinese out of Korea

1905, Russo-Japanese War allowed Japan to occupy parts of Manchuria

Social and Economic Change China

o Largest pop. in the worldo Inadequate farming

methodso Gap b/t rich & poor

Japano Few natural resourceso Growing populationo Rapid industrialization

• Controlled by wealthy zaibatsu

o Dependent on foreign trade• Exported silk/manufactured

goods• Imported fuel/raw materials

Revolution and War, 1900 - 1919

1908, Empress Dowager Cixi diedo Many opposed and sought to

modernize Chinao Sun Yatsen

• Political reformer (democracy, socialism, Confucianism)

• Followers known as the Goumindang (Kuomintang)

• Led failed attempt to overthrow Qing

o 1911, Yuan Shikai (general) used military to overthrow Qing• Established Republic of

China• Opposed Western-style gov.

Revolution and War, 1900 - 1919

During WWI, Japan joined Allied powers to take advantage of German colonies in Asia

Japan also presented China with Twenty-One Demands that turned it into a virtual protectorate

May 4, 1919 (May 4th Movement)o Chinese students demonstrated at Forbidden City in Beijingo In response to Shikai’s weak response to Treaty of Versailles and his inability to

curb Japan’s influence in East Asia

Chinese Warlords and the Goumindang

1925, Sun Yatsen died and Chiang Kai-Shek (military leader) used his army to defeat China’s regional warlords and take control of the R.O.C.o Established corrupt

military dictatorshipo Oppressed peasants

and communists

East Asia, 1930 Depression had

crippled Japan’s export economyo Nationalists sought

a colonial empire to break Japan’s reliance on foreign trade

As Goumindang grew stronger in China, it prepared to challenge the Japanese in Manchuria

The Long March Goumindang faced opposition

from Communists led by Mao Zedongo Humble originso Emphasized importance of peasantso Advocated equality for womeno Used guerilla warfare to harass

Goumindang 1934, Goumindang led offensive

against Communists forcing them to flee 6,000 miles from southeastern to northwestern Chinao Only 4,000 (including Mao) of

100,000 survived the journey

Rise of the Communist Party Sep. 1945, Japanese were forced to retreat from

China Though Goumindang had better

funding/weapons, Mao’s Communists were able to defeat them by 1949 using the support of the peasantso Established the People’s Republic of China