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

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

5. 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

7. 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)

10. 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.

11. Revolution and War,
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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

22. 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 , Rape of Nanjing
Incredibly violent offensive by Japanese
“Kill all, burn all, loot all” campaign

27. 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