The Interwar Years China

The Dilemna Some Chinese think the Emperor has lost his Mandate from Heaven Some Chinese think the nation can regain its glory and power by using some Western ideals of gov’t

People upset by all the Western cultural changes Empress Dowager Tz’u-hsi took over the throne from her nephew She encouraged those groups who wanted to get rid of the Western influences She encouraged the Society of the Righteous & Harmonious Fists = Boxers 1898 Boxer Rebellion destroyed churches, RR, anything that had come from foreigners

Foreign nations sent armies to protect their citizens living in China Boxer Rebellion put down by Russia, Grt Britain, US, France, Germany, and Japan

The Chinese gov’t had to pay for all the damage to foreign property China now ruled by foreigners

Leader Sun Yixian (Sun Yat-sen) That nationalist feeling the Boxers generated stayed with the Chinese people The Kuomintang = Nationalist Party was born Leader Sun Yixian (Sun Yat-sen)

They wanted a constitution, civil liberties, and a modern economy 1911 The Chinese overthrew the Empress A 4000 year old monarchy was dead! A new China was born

Except is wasn’t all good. Sun Yixian couldn’t keep control Warlords came Sun Yixian fled to Japan KMT (Nationalists or the Kuomintang) tried to control the warlords Of all the foreign powers only the USSR would help

The KMT splits when Sun Yixian died in 1925 New leader is of conservative right is Chiang Kai-shek. *he controls the army The new leader of the liberal left is Mao Zedong Chiang Kai-shek Mao Zedong

Chiang Kai-shek runs the KMT left Communists out and Mao Zedong and his follower begin the Long March

MEANWHILE.... The Japanese begin to encroach on Chinese resource rich territory This invasion & the Chiang Kai-shek’s inability to protect the Chinese people will push many Chinese to Mao Zedong’s side. In particular, the peasants begin to trust Mao more...and there a LOT of peasants

LATER... Eventually Chiang Kai- shek will flee to Taiwan Island (the other China) Mao Zedong will take over China after World War II China will become Communist

Cold War Fears

Tiananmen Massacre 1989