The Republic of China and Imperialist Japan Ch. 26 (pp. 764 – 766), Ch. 28 (pp. 812 – 814), Ch. 29 (pp. 841 – 851)

China, Japan and the Western Powers Post 1850: China resisted Western influence > became weaker Japan industrialized/modernized > became stronger

Japan Confronts China Japan industrialized to avoid European imperialism, instead used its industry to create its own empire Yamagata Aritoma Meiji prime minister interested in maintaining Japan’s “sphere of influence” in Korea, Manchuria and parts of China Required militarization/industrialization in those territories 1894, Sino-Japanese War forced Chinese out of Korea 1905, Russo-Japanese War allowed Japan to occupy parts of Manchuria

Social and Economic Change China Largest pop. in the world Inadequate farming methods Gap b/t rich & poor Japan Few natural resources Growing population Rapid industrialization Controlled by wealthy zaibatsu Dependent on foreign trade Exported silk/manufactured goods Imported fuel/raw materials Yataro Iwasake (founder of Mitsubishi)

Revolution and War, 1900 - 1919 1908, Empress Dowager Cixi died Many opposed and sought to modernize China Sun Yatsen Political reformer (democracy, socialism, Confucianism) Followers known as the Goumindang (Kuomintang) Led failed attempt to overthrow Qing 1911, Yuan Shikai (general) used military to overthrow Qing Established Republic of China Opposed Western-style gov.

Revolution and War, 1900 - 1919 During WWI, Japan joined Allied powers to take advantage of German colonies in Asia Japan also presented China with Twenty-One Demands that turned it into a virtual protectorate May 4, 1919 (May 4th Movement) Chinese students demonstrated at Forbidden City in Beijing In response to Shikai’s weak response to Treaty of Versailles and his inability to curb Japan’s influence in East Asia

Chinese Warlords and the Goumindang 1925, Sun Yatsen died and Chiang Kai-Shek (military leader) used his army to defeat China’s regional warlords and take control of the R.O.C. Established corrupt military dictatorship Oppressed peasants and communists

East Asia, 1930 Depression had crippled Japan’s export economy Nationalists sought a colonial empire to break Japan’s reliance on foreign trade As Goumindang grew stronger in China, it prepared to challenge the Japanese in Manchuria

The Manchurian Incident of 1931 Japanese soldiers, frustrated by hesitancy of their superiors, rigged an explosion on a Manchurian railroad Blamed the Chinese Used incident as an excuse to conquer Manchuria and use it as a major industrial center L.O.N. scolded Japan, so it simply withdrew from the organization

The Long March Meanwhile, back in China… Goumindang faced opposition from Communists led by Mao Zedong Humble origins Emphasized importance of peasants Advocated equality for women Used guerilla warfare to harass Goumindang 1934, Goumindang led offensive against Communists forcing them to flee 6,000 miles from southeastern to northwestern China Only 4,000 (including Mao) of 100,000 survived the journey

The Sino-Japanese War, 1937 - 1945 July 1937, Japanese troops (without authorization) attacked Chinese in Beijing Jap. gov. acquiesced, launching a war against China China resisted, but experienced massive causalities Winter 1937-1938, Rape of Nanjing Incredibly violent offensive by Japanese “Kill all, burn all, loot all” campaign

Rise of the Communist Party Sep. 1945, Japanese were forced to retreat from China Though Goumindang had better funding/weapons, Mao’s Communists were able to defeat them by 1949 using the support of the peasants Established the People’s Republic of China