CHINESE CIVIL WARS 1927 – – 1949

BACKGROUND  China was ruled by an emperor, living in Peking. Since the 17 th century, the emperors had all come from the Manchu dynasty (1644 – 1911). They had conquered China, established their government in Beijing and made every Chinese wear their hair in a pigtail, as a proof they were inferior to the Manchus.

 Under the emperors, the work of governing China was carried out by the Mandarins. They believed in traditions and customs and were against changes.  They studied the Confucius writings, who said that in the past everything was good, and that therefore all change is bad.  Power in China was in the hands of a small group of landlords, Mandarins and the Emperor, which made up about 10% of the population. They resisted change and lived by traditions which were more and more out of date.  There were constant famines, the population increased 8%, but the land only 1%. Peasants faced starvation during floods or droughts, some peasants had to pay 80% of their harvest.

 From the 1800s onwards the European powers took advantage of the weakness of China and started to divide the country among themselves. Opium Wars: 1839 –1842, 1856 –1860 Russia’s territorial gains: northeast China 1858 – 1860 northwest China 1881 – 1884 Sino-French War: 1883 – 1885 Sino-Japanese War: 1894 – nation forces: 1900

 These countries developed factories and produced goods. European countries wanted to trade with China, and sell them industrial goods.  At first the Chinese refused to trade. By 1900 many parts of China were really controlled by foreigners. These were known as the “Treaty Ports”. China had been forced to sign unequal treaties which gave them control over China trade, territory and sovereignty. Additionally, missionaries flooded the country attempting to spread Christianity.  The emperors were powerless to stop them. Their old-fashioned weapons were no match for European guns and warships. China’s final humiliation came in 1895 when the emperor was defeated in war by Japan.  After that defeat, China could no longer claim to be the strongest power in Asia.  China was carved up into spheres of influence by the Europeans, Americans and, at the end of the 19th century, by Japan.

 From 1850 to 1864, the Taiping Rebellion which was part religious and part political reform movement, was put down by regional armies. These armies moved away from centralized control, and this resulted in the Warlord Era (1916 – 1927).  China lost more territory when was part of the settlement in the Russo- Japanese War (1904 – 1905)

THE BOXER REBELLION (1899)  The Chinese who had thought themselves superior for so long, were angry. In one city controlled by foreigners, there was a sign at the entrance to a park: “CHINESE AND DOGS NOT ADMITTED”.  The foreigners were hated and one of China’s secret societies, The Boxers, organized a rising to get rid of foreigners.  The Boxers killed 200 foreign missionaries and Chinese. The Europeans acted quickly and sent an international police force. The Eight-nation alliance Japan, Russia, UK, France, USA, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy crushed the Boxers.  Now under pressure, the Empress Cixi, decided to introduce various reforms. The educations system, the civil service and the army were all improved.  There were even plans to set up a parliament.  In 1911 the emperor was overthrown and a republic set up which was controlled by a series of warlords.