History of Modern China

Republican China (1911-1949)

During WWI

The Chinese Government sided with the Allies in exchange that the German concessions in Shangdong province would be handed over to them. The Treaty of Versailles ended up handing the province over to Japan.

May 4, 1919

Over 3000 students from various Beijing universities got together and protested the Treaty of Versailles. This was the first mass protest in China's history and is called the May 4th Movement.

Early 1920's

Dr. Sun Yatsen who was the leader of the Nationalist Party accepted Soviet aid and forged an alliance with the Chinese Communist Party

1925

Dr. Sun Yatsen died of cancer. Chiang Kaishek then took over the Nationalist Party. Using the communists he launched his Northern Expedition. He used the communists to strike the different cities and once he had united all of Southern China and gained control of the Lower Yangzi he betrayed them.

The Long March

After the betrayal by Chiang, the Chinese Communist Party was forced to abandon their bases and were on the run for a year. One of the individuals on the run during this time was Mao Zedong. At the beginning they started out with about 100,000 people and by the end of the year they had traveled over 6,000 miles and had 4,000-8,000 people left.

1937-1945

In July of 1937 Japan launches an all-out aggression against China. By the time the war had ended in 1945, the Nationalist government had fled from Nanjing to Chongquing. During this time the Chinese Communist Party were consolidating their power and the Nationalist Party was becoming more corrupt and in Debt.

October 1949

The Nationalist Party flees to Taiwan and Mao Zedong proclaims the creation of the People's Republic of China.

Mao Zedong

People's Republic of China (1949-present)

1950

China intervenes in the Korean War and to save North Korea.

1958

Mao Zedong launches the Great Leap Forward. This was an attempt to increase crop production and mobilize the peasant masses by collectivizing the farms and using the excess labor to produce steel. This ended up creating the greates man-made famine in human history and between 1958 and 1960 over 30 million people starved to death.

1962

China completely breaks away from the Soviets and positions itself to take its place as a global leader.

1966-1976 The Cultural Revolution

In 1966 Mao Zedong launches the Cultural Revolution. He calls for the students to rebel against authority and form units of Red Guards. Schools shut down during this time and transportation was disrupted.

1976

Upon Mao Zedong's death the politically charged atmosphere that was created during the Cultural Revolution slows down and Deng Xiaoping emerges as the paramount leader in 1978.

1978

Deng Xiaoping Launches his economic reform program. Originally targeting agriculture it quickly spreads throughout the rest of the country.

1989

As the economic reforms spread, the question of political reforms begin. June 4,1989, over 400 unarmed protestors against the Communist Party were killed at Tiananmen Square. For three years after this incident progress and reform in China would stop.

Sources:

http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MODCHINA/COMM.HTM

http://shen-nong.com/eng/history/modern.html

https://www.modernhistoryofchina.com

http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/china/pro-history.htm

http://condensedchina.com/china4.html#KMT

http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/contents/01his/c05s03.html