📖 Week 2: China in Revolution (Pre-1949)

Question 1

Centuries of Humiliation (1839-1949)

Answer 1

during which China suffered military defeats, foreign invasions, and unequal treaties at the hands of Western powers and Japan. It began with the First Opium War (1839-1842) and ended with the founding of the People’s Republic of China (1949) under Mao Zedong.

Question 2

What were the causes of the First Opium War (1839-1842)?

Answer 2

British opium trade in China, China’s trade surplus, Qing crackdown on opium, British military retaliation.

Question 3

What was the Treaty of Nanjing (1842)?

Answer 3

an unequal treaty that ended the First Opium War. Britain gained Hong Kong, China opened five ports, and paid reparation

Question 4

Why did the CCP win the Chinese Civil Wa

Answer 4

MT corruption, Japanese invasion weakened KMT, CCP’s popularity among peasants, and effective guerrilla warfare.

Question 5

What is the “Century of Humiliation”

Answer 5

A period (1839-1949) when China suffered defeats, foreign invasions, and unequal treaties from Western powers and Japan.

Question 6

What caused the First Opium War

Answer 6

British opium trade in China, China’s trade surplus, Lin Zexu’s crackdown on opium, and Britain’s military response.

Question 7

What were the terms of the Treaty of Nanjing (1842)

Answer 7

Britain gained Hong Kong, China opened five trade ports, paid war reparations, and granted extraterritorial rights to British citizens

Question 8

Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895)

Answer 8

The First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895) was a military conflict between China (Qing Dynasty) and Japan (Meiji Empire) over influence in Korea. The war resulted in a decisive Japanese victory, marking the rise of Japan as a major global power and the decline of Qing China.

Question 9

NA

Question 10

Who were the two main factions in the Chinese Civil War?

Answer 10

The Kuomintang (KMT) led by Chiang Kai-Shek and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) led by Mao Zedong.

Question 11

Q: What was the significance of the Long March (1934-1935)?

Answer 11

A strategic retreat by the CCP, during which Mao Zedong emerged as the party’s leader.

Question 12

treaty of Nanjing

Answer 12

The Treaty of Nanjing (1842) was a peace treaty that ended the First Opium War (1839–1842) between Britain and China (Qing Dynasty). It was the first of the “Unequal Treaties” that favored Western powers and significantly weakened China.

Question 13

Causes of the Sino Japanese War

Answer 13

Struggle for Control Over Korea
Korea was traditionally a tributary state of China but had growing influence from Japan.
Both China and Japan sought dominance over Korea for economic and military reasons.
In 1894, a rebellion (the Donghak Rebellion) broke out in Korea, and both countries sent troops.
B. Military & Economic Competition
Japan had modernized its military during the Meiji Restoration (1868–1890s) and wanted to expand its influence.
China’s Qing Dynasty was weakened by corruption, outdated military, and past conflicts (Opium Wars, Taiping Rebellion)