China 1911 to 1919: Republic of China Flashcards
to understand the factors which led up in the short-term to the end of the first Chinese Republic
When was the Guomindang formed?
August 1912
Elections for provincial assemblies and a national parliament (consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives) were held in December 1912. Which party won a majority?
The National People’s Party (GMD), with 43% of the vote and, in the new parliament, 269 out of 596 seats in House of Representatives and 123 of 274 seats in the Senate.
What happened to Song Jiaoren?
One of the leaders of the GMD, Song was shot in 1913 at Shanghai station, on his way to Beijing to take up his poistion as Prime Minister.
Why was Song’s assassination significant?
Song had been an outspoken critic of the President, Yuan Shikai, arguing that he had taken too much power for himself. As Prime Minister he would have curtailed the President’s power. With his death, hope ended that a constitutional democracy would work in China.
How and when did Yuan Shikai first turn on the GMD?
Following Song’s murder in 1913, Yuan surpressed and bribed GMD members in the parliament and removed military governors who were sympathetic to the GMD.
In 1913 an international Consortium offered Yuan $100 million. Known as the Reorganisation Loan, what terms was Yuan forced to accept as he was desperate for the money?
Recognition of Britain’s control over Tibet and Russia of Outer Mongolia; Chinese finances were placed in the hands of foreign controllers; China’s future tax revenue was taken as security on the loan (i.e. if China defaulted on its loan repayments)
Why were most of the foreign powers distracted from further intervention in China from 1913?
because of the events leading up to the First World War and the war itself
What do some historians claim the 1913 Reorganisation Loan enabled Yuan Shikai to do?
to defeat the GMD and rid China of democracy
What was the Second Revolution of 1913?
When Yuan turned on the GMD in 1913, Sun Yatsen fled to Japan and called for a “Second Revolution” to remove Yuan and establish a proper republic.
Why was Yuan Shikai desperate for foreign support?
He relied on foreign loans, as an incresaing amount of taxation was staying in the hands of provincial military governors, whose support he could not afford to lose either.
Why did the foreign powers support Yuan Shikai?
They wanted stablility for trade and security for their investments/loans.
Who was the main foreign investor in 1913?
Britian - with nearly 40% of the total foreign investment.
How did Yuan Shikai consolidate his power and eject the GMD?
Troops loyal to Yuan occupied Nanjing and he dissolved the provincial assemblies, and replaced the parliament with a new “Council of State”, led by Duan Qirui, his trusted Beiyang lieutenant, as Prime Minister. Yuan then had himself elected president for a five-year term and had the GMD banned.
What did Japan issue in 1915?
the Twenty-one Demands
What were the Twenty-one Demands of 1915?
a set of economic and political demands which Japan made of China after they seized the German concessions in Shandong province - Yuan agreed to the econimic demands but refused the political ones which would have led to Japanese officials being installed in the different branches of the Chinese government and would, in effect, have made China a puppet state
