THE WARLORDSTHE WARLORDS

• YSK continued to rule China until his death in 1916• After that, China broke up into hundreds of small regions,

each ruled by a local warlordwarlord• Warlords often former army commanders or local

landowners• The government in Beijing still existed but was very weak• The warlords ruled as they liked and often fought each

other• Armies roamed the country, looting and killing was

common• This disorder made China weak and allowed Japan to

interfere in its affairs• In 1919, when it was announced that the government had

agreed to allow Japan special privileges in Manchuria, the people took to the streets in protest

• This was known as the May Fourth movementMay Fourth movement• After the protests were stopped, it was a clear sign that

people were anxious for change

THE WARLORDSTHE WARLORDS

• Two groups in China opposed the rule of the warlords• The Kuomingtang (Nationalists) and the Communists• During the 1920s, the two groups sometimes worked

together to reduce the power of the warlords• Also cooperated to put pressure on foreign countries to

give up their special privileges

NB : Western countries had sent their armed forces to seize parts of China and set up exclusive trading rights in those areas.

British took Hong Kong and Shanghai; Russians Port Arthur and the Liaodong Peninsula and the Germans (Kiaochow) also carved out their shares

Forced the weak Manchu rulers to sign UEQUAL TREATIES agreeing to whatever the westerners wanted

THE NATIONALIST OR KUOMINTANG PARTYTHE NATIONALIST OR KUOMINTANG PARTY

• The Nationalists followed the teachings of SYSThe Nationalists followed the teachings of SYS• They wanted China to become a democracy with They wanted China to become a democracy with

people having a say in the way the country was people having a say in the way the country was governedgoverned

• They wanted to free China from the control of foreign They wanted to free China from the control of foreign powers and Japan, and to make her strong againpowers and Japan, and to make her strong again

• Argued among themselves the interpretation of SYS Argued among themselves the interpretation of SYS third principle of ‘socialism’third principle of ‘socialism’

• Some wanted land to be taken from the landlords and Some wanted land to be taken from the landlords and given to the peoplegiven to the people

• Others opposed thisOthers opposed this• KMT HQ in GuangzhouKMT HQ in Guangzhou• SYS was its leader until his death in 1925SYS was its leader until his death in 1925• Chiang Kai-shekChiang Kai-shek, one of the military leaders, , one of the military leaders,

succeeded himsucceeded him

THE NATIONALIST OR KUOMINTANG PARTYTHE NATIONALIST OR KUOMINTANG PARTY

• After the Bolshevik After the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, the Revolution in 1917, the Russian Communists Russian Communists supported the KMT with supported the KMT with money and weaponsmoney and weapons

• They were keen to help They were keen to help movements that opposed movements that opposed western powerswestern powers

• The KMT was willing to The KMT was willing to receive financial and military receive financial and military aid from any govt prepared aid from any govt prepared to helpto help

• But KMT was not a But KMT was not a communist party and did not communist party and did not want for China the kind of want for China the kind of society that Lenin was trying society that Lenin was trying to create in Russiato create in Russia

CHIANG KAI-SHEK

THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTYTHE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY

• The CCP was formed in 1921The CCP was formed in 1921• The success of the Bolshevik Revolution The success of the Bolshevik Revolution

encouraged other like-minded communists to encouraged other like-minded communists to try to do the same in their own countriestry to do the same in their own countries

• Although the Chinese communists had the Although the Chinese communists had the same ideas as their Russian counterparts, they same ideas as their Russian counterparts, they saw the support of the people as vital in saw the support of the people as vital in helping them to come to power in Chinahelping them to come to power in China

• China was a more agricultural society than China was a more agricultural society than RussiaRussia

• The CCP knew that they would have no chance The CCP knew that they would have no chance of success if the peasants were not on their of success if the peasants were not on their sideside

THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTYTHE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY

• One of the leaders of One of the leaders of the CCP in the early the CCP in the early days was Mao Zedongdays was Mao Zedong

• Mao was the son of a Mao was the son of a peasant and first peasant and first learned about learned about communism while communism while working as a library working as a library assistant at a university assistant at a university in Beijingin Beijing

STRUGGLE BETWEEN KMT & CCPSTRUGGLE BETWEEN KMT & CCP

• Initially, the KMT & CCP were persuaded by the Russians to work together against the warlords [FIRST UNITED FRONT]

• After SYS death, situation changed• CKS was an effective leader who was able to win

back a lot of land from the warlords• His closest supporters were mostly wealthy

merchants, bankers and landowners• Even his wife was a member of one of the wealthiest

banking families in China• These people were suspicious of the communists.

Why?• The CCP wanted to do away with private property

and turn the existing society upside down• CKS himself was trained in Moscow and he disliked

what he saw and experienced at close hand

STRUGGLE BETWEEN KMT & CCPSTRUGGLE BETWEEN KMT & CCP

• After a successful campaign against the warlords in 1926, CKS turned against his former allies

• Many communists (est 5,000) were killed in the purge which followed [SHANGHAI MASSACRE] - Apr 1927

• Those who survived fled to the Jinggang mountains on the border of Hunan and Jiangxi

• CKS captured Beijing in 1928 and overthrew the government there

• He was now in control of most of China except for the remote areas under the control of the communists

• He chose Nanjing as his new capital• A KMT government was set up with him as the

President

Was Sun Yat-sen’s 3 Principles Was Sun Yat-sen’s 3 Principles achieved?achieved?

• China under the KMT had much success in the late 1920s in persuading European countries to give up their special privileges

• They had forced China to grant them these privileges in earlier years

• Eg fixing China’s import and export taxes, control of China’s postal system

• SYS first principle thus had some success

Was Sun Yat-sen’s 3 Principles Was Sun Yat-sen’s 3 Principles achieved?achieved?

• SYS second principle of democracy was largely ignored

• CKS was as autocratic as previous rulers - no elected govt, no parliament

• The third principle of ‘socialism’ was also ignored as CKS supporters were mostly the rich

• They wanted to hold on to their own positions

• Hostile to attempts to redistribute wealth more evenly

• This was one reason why the Communists continued to win a lot of support

• It appeared that the CCP was the only group that was concerned about the well-being of the peasants

Copyright reserved 2001

From the histerical notes of

the Ancient Library of