Chinese Revolution: A Historical Analysis
The Chinese Revolution
China, a vast nation, is populated by approximately 1.3 billion people today.
China Before the Twentieth Century
In 1513, the Portuguese arrived in Macau, followed by the Spanish and Dutch. At this time, the Chinese severed relations with Europeans (who were actively exploring the South China Sea), limiting trade.
From the seventeenth century, European and British exploitation of the South China Sea intensified. In the late eighteenth century, the Qing Dynasty entered a period of economic and political crisis, paving the way for European powers to forcibly open Chinese ports to trade.
In 1839, the British used the destruction of a shipment of opium as a pretext to declare war on the Qing Dynasty. The defeated Qing ceded Hong Kong and opened five other ports to the English. This led to:
- Opening of more ports
- Granting of territories
- Economic privileges to foreigners: English, American, French, Russian, and Japanese
The Boxer Rebellion
Between 1900 and 1901, a nationalist revolt, supported by the Empress and some rulers, took place. It is known as the Boxer Rebellion, or the Yihetuan Movement. The rebels were primarily unemployed and impoverished rural people, who blamed imports from the West for their condition.
The rebels occupied Beijing for two months. The United Kingdom, France, Japan, Russia, Germany, and the USA assembled a force of approximately 20,000 soldiers to suppress the insurgency. The Chinese government relocated to Xi’an (then called Siam), causing the dispersion of the Boxers. The monarchy made concessions:
- The end of secret societies
- The payment of reparations
- A ban on importing weapons
The uprising also resulted in increased foreign interference in China, further diminishing the authority of the Qing dynasty, which collapsed a few years later, in 1911.
Following the Boxer Rebellion, a new form of Chinese nationalism emerged. It wasn’t characterized by hatred of foreigners, but by planned and coordinated actions by young people who had studied abroad. With the abdication of the emperor, the Republic of China was established. However, this did little to change the situation, as traditional Chinese societal values and the power of the warlords still prevailed.
Warlords
Warlords commanded large areas of central and southern China, operating with complete independence from the central government and establishing direct agreements with foreign powers.
During this period, two major parties gained strength: the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), founded in 1921. Among the key participants of the CCP was Mao Zedong.
In 1925, following the death of the Chinese president and founder of the Kuomintang, General Chiang Kai-shek assumed power and achieved a victory in unifying China by defeating the warlords in 1928. Simultaneously, the Chinese Communist Party prepared to advocate for a peasant revolution. The rivalry between the Communists and Nationalists intensified, culminating in an armed conflict that lasted for years. To escape the government, Mao Zedong moved to the south of the country, where he established the Chinese Soviet Republic.
In 1934, the Long March occurred when Chiang Kai-shek launched a new campaign aimed at annihilating the Communists. Over 500,000 men, with the support of German military advisors, blockaded the Communists’ supply lines of food and arms, forcing them to retreat to the north.
In 1937, China was invaded by Japan, which sought to expand its territories. Faced with a common enemy, the Communists and Nationalists formed a united front.