China intro

Question 1

What were the causes of the 1911 revolution?

Answer 1

-The new emperor was Puyi, who was 2 years old (1908). Prince Chun ruled as regent, but he was inexperienced and could not provide a strong govt.
-Failure of political reforms - they were too little and too late. Also, only 0.4% of the population had the right to vote and all changes were delayed for 9 years which led to calls for faster reforms, but were ignored. Also, the new National Consultive Council were all Manchu, which increase Han resentment of the govt as they made up more than 90% of the population.
-Consequences of army reform - it was expensive, causing Chun to increase taxes on tea, wine, salt, and land. This was on top of taxes for reparations.
-Spread of revolutionary ideas and increased opposition - Sun Eat - sen, who was educated in the West brought back ideas of nationalism and republicanism to China. He was exiled from 1985 till 1911 due to anti-govt ideas but they had still spread. Yuan Shikai was growing too powerful and was therefore dismissed, becoming a powerful enemy.
-Growing resentment over the control of China’s railways as nationalisation increased Manchu control and owners were angry they were not getting full compensation for giving up control. Anger increased when govt borrowed money from the West to expand railways and granted further concessions to foreign companies to build the lines. It seemed to the Han that the Qing were partners with the ‘foreign devils’?

Question 2

Explain how the 1911 revolution took place.

Answer 2

1911 - Young revolutionaries in Hankou exploded a bomb - accident but provided a signal for a wider revolt. A day later, soldiers in Wuhan led a mutiny and this spread until all, but 3 provinces South of Bejing were in revolt.
Han soldiers revolted against Manchu control and massacred Manchu troops. However, the rebels lacked a leader until Yuan Shikai. He went to Beijing to form a Han govt.
Sun Yat Sen was offered president and buried back to China but Yuan convinced him o step down and let him become president.

Question 3

What did Yuan promise Sun yat sen he would do, in the place for becoming president?

Answer 3

Yuan promised to replace the imperial system with a republic.

Question 4

Who was China ruled by between 1912-1916? And how? What several things happened in 1915?

Answer 4

Yuan Shikai ruled China between 1912-1916 as a dictator and in 1915, he tried to make himself emperor. But his rejection of democracy made him unpopular with the Guamindang, Sun’s new party.
Military governors feared they would lose authority if Yuan took more power.
On May 9th 1915, he accepted the Japanese 21 demands to control many of China factories, railway lines and ports which led to a loss of China’s independence. There were army revolts against Yuan in December 1915, and he ended up dying in June 1916.

Question 5

What was 1916-27 known as?

Answer 5

The era of warlords.

Question 6

What are some examples of warlords and how they acted?

Answer 6

Zang Zongzhang - Violent rules who enjoyed splitting open the heads of his opponents and compared it to “splitting melons”.
Feng Yuxiang - ‘Christian general’ that baptised his troops and believed they should be ruled by moral values. He refused them to fight with one another.

Question 7

Why was China so unstable, weak and divided during the warlord era?

Answer 7

-No military general to rule China with same authority.
-Central govt collapsed.
-Power was exercised by powerful local generals in their own provinces. They all ran their own legal and financial systems, collected taxes and terrorised their populations.
They made agreements with foreign powers who wanted to protect their economic interests in China.
There was a drought in 1918 and flooding in 1923-25, which was not mitigated at all, nor was there any relief for the population due to a lack of a central govt.

Question 8

What was a result of the warlord era?

Answer 8

Increasing numbers of Chinese people turned to revolutionary ideas.

Question 9

What was the May the Fourth Movement in 1919?

Answer 9

The May the Fourth Movement is when students from Beijing Uni led a protest in Tiananmen Square. They called on the govt to resist the humiliating treatment of China (as Beijing had previously declared themselves independent) due to the TOV. This protest spread to other cities and there with many strikes.

Question 10

Why were Chinese people so angry about the TOV?

Answer 10

The TOV declared tat Chinese territories that were taken by Germany would be given to Japan instead of returned to China.

Question 11

What were the consequences of the May the Fourth Movement?

Answer 11

Political: It led to a surge in Chinese nationalism and inspired the growth of revolutionary movements, including the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921.
Cultural: It fueled the New Culture Movement, which pushed for modernization, the use of vernacular Chinese (instead of classical), gender equality, and more critical thinking.
Social: Encouraged a break from tradition and empowered youth and intellectuals to challenge the status quo.
-Seen by the New Tide which criticised classical ideas and adopted newer ones.

Question 12

What is Sun Yat-sen’s background?
Discuss where he grew up, and why he was exiled.

Answer 12

He was born in Guangdong province but was educated in Honolulu where he learned English. He moved to Hong Kong, which was part of Britain, where he learned about medicine and converted to Christianity.
In 1985, he led a rebellion in Guangzhou, inspired by his nationalist beliefs, resulting in him being exiled until 1911. He traveled extensive in the mean time and when he returned he let Yuan become President.

Question 13

When was the formation of the GMD declared?

Answer 13

Sun Yat sen declared the formation of the GMD in 1919 but had been setting it up in Guangzhou for two years prior.

Question 14

What were the Three Principles of the People?

Answer 14

In his speech in 1923, where he shared his political ideology, known as the Three Principles of the People.
It focused on:
-Remove foreign control.
-Raise Chinese people out of poverty.
-Transform the old-fashioned China.

Question 15

Why did the GMD need an army? How did they do it?

Answer 15

The GMD needed an army because they wanted to overthrow the warlords in order to take control of China.
IN 1924, Sun established the Whampoa Military Academy to train GMD soldiers and their army was known as the NRA.

Question 16

Who assisted the GMD/Sun in his development of China?

Answer 16

Bolshevik advisers.
-Joffe organised negotiations.
-Borodin helped drag,ise the GMD as a mass party with a powerful central leadership. He also helped with acquiring the GMD with large quantities of arms. He approved Chiang.

Question 17

What happened when Sun Yat sen died in 1925? How was he seen?

Answer 17

Chiang Kai Shek, the commander of the NRA, replaced him.
He was not seen as the replacement as he was a military man, and not a leader, but this underestimated him as he had great ambition and knew the importance of military power.

Question 18

How did communism become popular in China - CCP?

Answer 18

-As a consequence of the May the Fourth Movement - spread of revolutionary ideas. Karl Max wrote about the theory of communism which included overthrowing the higher classes and achieving equality by the lower classes, which was popular.
-Communism gained more support due to the Russian Revolution in 1917. Chinese communists believed they could achieve a successful revolution in China as Russia was very similar - also old fashioned.

Question 19

How did the CCP form?

Answer 19

The CCP was founded in secret in a girl’s school in Shanghai in 1921. Chen Duxui, a key member of the May the Fourth Movement was elected as the general secretary. One of the 12 leaders was Mao.

Question 20

Why did the Bolsheviks want the GMD to work with the CCP?

Answer 20

They wanted to encourage the spread of revolution and protect its border with China.
-The CCP was too small to achieve revolution as they only had 50 members so far.
-The GMD’s three principles were very similar to communist ideas of equality.
Conditions of China were not ready for a Marxist revolution. Marx said that a revolution had to be led by the proletariat, but there were very little workers in China, and instead many peasants.

Question 21

Why could the CCP not ignore the Soviet Union’s wishes?

Answer 21

The Soviet Union provided US$5000 a year to fund the party.

Question 22

When did the United Front form? And what common aims did they have?

Answer 22

It formed in 1924. They had common aims of:
-destroying the warlords
-expel foreigners from China
-Improve lives of ordinary people in China

Question 23

What was the 30th May incident of 1925 protest? What did this confirm?

Answer 23

It was a protest led by Chinese workers in Shanghai, stopped by the British Commander from the International Settlement who shot and killed 12 people.
it confirmed that the CCP and GMD could only remove China’s internal and external enemies by force.

Question 24

What was the Northern Expedition 1926-28?

Answer 24

The Northern Expedition of 1926-28 was directed against the warlords in central, eastern and northern China.
They used the military strategy of surrounding each warlord’s army, cutting off its supply lines and to steadily destroy it.
By 1927, they had control of central China, and by 1928, with an army of 250,000, they took control of eastern China. Also in 1928, Chiang drove Zhang Zuolin out of Beijing and declared that the GMD was the legal govt of China. - moved capital to Nanjing.

Question 25

Why was the NRA so successful during the Northern Expedition?

Answer 25

They had aid from Galen, a Soviet military adviser that made them far more effective than anything controlled by the warlords. -Troops were taught to treat peasants with respect and pay for food. -United Front was successful in winning the support of the local population.

Question 26

What was Mao significant in during the Northern Expedition?

Answer 26

Mao was very significant in winning the support of local peasant populations.

Question 27

Why was the United Front successful?

Answer 27

-The strength and tactics of their army was significantly better than that of warlords. -The role of the communists in gaining support of the peasants. -Chiang made deals with the warlords such as bribing them or allowing them to keep their private armies if they submit to GMD.

Question 28

What caused problems between the GMD and CCP?

Answer 28

-Chiang had been convinced that the United Front's purpose had now been served. -Chiang was very suspicious of the CCP as he was from rich classes. -GMD relied on businessmen for financial support, meaning they would never accept the communist ideology and its aim to overthrow capitalism.

Question 29

Why was the GMD able to occupy Shanghai? and what did it result in? (March 1927)

Answer 29

They were able to occupy Shanghai because: -Communists had organised a general strike and left-wing uprisings that weakening the control of the city. -The communists had set up a strong trade union in Shanghai This resulted in the Shanghai massacres.

Question 30

What were the Shanghai massacres of 1927? Why did Chiang turn on them? Who supported the GMD? How many were killed?

Answer 30

Chiang turned on the CCP two weeks after taking control. He had the support of Shanghai's industrialists who opposed the trade unions and of the foreigners in the International Settlement who feared that they would lose their economic interests in China if communists took over. -Chiang's troops began a frenzy of killing and were known as the White Terror . They were supported by the violent secret societies, known as Triads and the Green Gang. -5000 communists were dragged out and killed. The attacks spread and in Hanan, 250,000 people were killed.

Question 31

What was the Autumn Harvest Uprising of 1927? What did it result in?

Answer 31

Comintern ordered Mao and the CCP to continue the United Front, but he refused and staged the Autumn Harvest uprising. It was a communist led rebellion that ultimately failed because it was poorly organised and quickly crushed by the NRA. It resulted in the communists being forced to flee to the mountains of Jiangxi province. -Jiangxi Soviet was set up. They spent the newt 7 years in a struggle for survival there.

Question 32

What were the Extermination Campaigns of 1930-34?

Answer 32

Chiang was determined to destroy the communists as he believed they were a greater threat than the warlords, thus in the four years, he launched 5 extermination campaigns. 1. 1930 - 44,000 NRA troops directed at the communists in Jiangxi. Chiang intended to surround them and destroy them but the communists refused to fight face to face and tricked them into their territory and laid traps for them. They captured the commander of the first army and beheaded him. 2. 1931 - 100,000 troops against the CCP in 1931. He caught them by surprise but his cautious strategy of moving slowly to avoid ambushes led to small communist forces escaping. 3. 1933 - GMD launched its final extermination campaign. They established a blockade around the Soviet and deprived the inhabitants of food? They built over 11,000km of roads into the Soviet to allow the faster movement of troops. They surrounded the communists, used scorched earth policy. The communists had no choice but to fight a static war and they faced defeat after defeat. In 1934, they were forced to abandon Jiangxi Soviet and had lost over 60,000 soldiers and more than half of their own territory.

Question 33

Why did the Extermination Campaigns fail?

Answer 33

Chiang's troops were treated with hostility by peasants, had little to eat and caught dysentery from the dirty water They reacted by burning down villages, massacring all the inhabitants and seizing their crops. Over the 4 years, they killed more than a million peasants, who eventually proved to be crucial to control China.

Question 34

Where did Mao develop his version of communism and how? How did this later help him?

Answer 34

Mao developed his version of communism in Jianxi Soviet. He disagreed with Comintern advisers and instead focused on the peasants, rather than the working class. Gaining the support of the peasants put him in a good position in the struggle for leadership.

Question 35

What was the Long March and how did it start?

Answer 35

The Long March occurred in 1934, when the communists realised they could not survive if they stayed in Jiangxi Soviet. This was because Chiang had been advised to surround the Reds and push them into smaller and smaller areas so that they lost their resources, and then use aerial bombing. Thus on the 10th of October, 80,000-100,000 communists broke out and began to march north to find safety. -They had no idea where their destination would be. -They were followed by the GMD army. -Fought battles constantly before they finally escaped the GMD and found safety in Yanan. -Initially led by Braun, a Comintern adviser, but he led to heavy losses.

Question 36

Who took control of the CCP at the meeting in Zunyi in 1935? What technique did they develop?

Answer 36

At the meeting in Zunyi in 1935, Mao and Zhu De took control of the party. They developed a new technique which involved surprising directions and dividing the forces and regrouping to escape the GMD.

Question 37

Why was the Long March so significant? Conditions? How many people survived?

Answer 37

The Long March was used as a symbol of bravery and success. the conditions had been extreme as they crossed land where the water was unfit to drink, thousands died of hunger, drowned or froze to death, while being attacked by the GMD. -It was turned into a brave myth, used as propaganda by the CCP. It promoted ideas of comradeship and self sacrifice, while also encouraging peasants to support the Reds. When they arrived in Yanan in 1935, only 10,000 had survived.

Question 38

How did the nationalists refer to the Long March?

Answer 38

They referred to it as the Great retreat as only 10,000 of the 80,000-100,000 survived.

Question 39

Who did the nationalists get recognised by in 1935?

Answer 39

The GMD's govt was recognised by the West and Soviet Union, suggesting security and legitimacy.

Question 40

Why did Japan want to invade China?

Answer 40

Japan had been modernising their economy during the 19th and 20th century. This was seen by the fact that they defeated China in 1895 and Russia in 1905. However, in the 1920s, their economic growth had been slowing down due to not having access to the raw materials (oil) they needed. This caused them to want to expand to China, which did have the raw materials they desired.

Question 41

What happened in 1931?

Answer 41

Japan invades Manchuria due to the Mukden Incident and it becomes a puppet state, under Puyi. Manchuria appeared to be independent but was controlled by Japan.

Question 42

What happened in 1932?

Answer 42

Manchuria was renamed Manchukuo. Japanese expansion spread to Shanghai, which was forced to submit to them. Between 1931-37, Japan strengthened its position in China in the areas where it had control.

Question 43

What was Chiang's initial response to Japan's invasion? How was he seen?

Answer 43

Chiang had initially allowed the Japanese to take the land. He was convinced they would never occupy a country as big as China and was more focused on the communists. This made him unpopular with the Chinese population and could no longer continue when Japan began their full-scale occupation policy.

Question 44

Why did Chiang change his attitude to the Japanese, and why did the Second United Front form?

Answer 44

Chiang changed his attitude of allowing the Japanese to take control of Manchuria and the northern provinces as the warlords he had made deals with to take control of China were now putting pressure on his to work with the communist to remove the Japanese. -The Second United Front was formed in December 1936.

Question 45

How did the Japanese War go? 1937- 45

Answer 45

-The Second United Front was formed in December 1936. -They fought as separate armies but had the same goal of removing the Japanese. 1937-41 went bad for China as the Japanese captured major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing. This forced Chiang's govt to flee to Chongqing.

Question 46

What was the Rape of Nanjing 1937?

Answer 46

The Rape of Nanjing of 1937 was when over 30,000 Chinese were killed and over 20,000 women and girl were repeatedly raped by gangs of soldiers. They were extremely violent.

Question 47

What happened in 1931, that was the turning point of the war?

Answer 47

In 1931, Japan bombed pearl harbour causing the Allies, USA, Britain and Soviet Union to supply China with resources and funding to defeat Japan.

Question 48

What ended the war with Japan in 1945?

Answer 48

The Allied attacks on Japan's mainland significantly weakened the Japanese. The final blow was when the US bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending the war.

Question 49

Why was the CCP such a powerful force in the war with Japan?

Answer 49

The CCP had 40,000 members in 1937, and ended the war with 1.2 million members. This was mainly due to popular policies Mao implemented in Yanan Soviet, as he won over the peasants by making soldiers treat them with respect. He also won over the landlords by insisting that they should not be seen as the enemy. He also won their support by applying rent controls. -The peasants were crucial for the war as they informed the Reds on the position of the Japanese and provided them with food and shelter.

Question 50

What was the 100 Regiments Offensive in 1940?

Answer 50

It was one of the Red Army's first successes as over 400,000 Red forces attacked the Japanese in northern and central China. They captured Japanese soldiers and destroyed over 965km of railway lines. Despite the Japanese launching a counter attack and pushing the Reds back, they gained a lot of support by showing how eager and determined they were to remove the Japanese.

Question 51

What tactic did the communists use during the war?

Answer 51

The Red Army used guerrilla tactics against the Japanese. -Ambushed them -Attacked the weak points in their defences and prevented them from moving forwards Mao used this as propaganda to attract more support.