The Nationalist Decade Flashcards
When was the Nanjing Nationalist Government formally set up?
18th April 1927
What is the significance of March 1929?
The Third Congress of the GMD announced they would monopolise power on the behalf of the people for political tutelage
What was Chiang’s position in the military? Government? GMD?
Military- Chief
GMD- Leader
Government- Leader (Chairman)
What did Chiang like to refer to himself as?
Generalissimo
How did Chiang subdue rebellion? (3 pt)
- bribery and force
- playing allies off against each other
- authorised campaigns to subdue provinces
How many provinces did the Nanjing government hold direct control of?
5
What were the transport and communications improvements made by the nationalists? (10 pt)
- railways were expanded
- hundreds of new locomotives imported
- modern signal systems installed
- new roads and bridges
- ferries between cities on rivers
- buses and trams
- founding of a Chinese airline
- more post offices
- networks of radio stations
- more telegraph lines
What wre the industry improvements made by the nationalists? (5 pt)
- new electric power plants
- new factories focused on light industry
- growth in cotton industry
- new hospitals
- flood control dykes
What were the finance improvements made by the nationalists? (4 pt)
- banking and currency reform
- trading centre boom in Shanghai
- measurement and weight standardised
- income tax system established
What were the sovereignty reforms made by the nationalists? (4 pt)
- many western claims on China dissolved
- customs service and tariffs handed back to the Chinese
- 20/33 foreign concessions were given up
- Chinese diplomats participated in international bodies such as the League of Nations
How much spending was allocated to paying off debts and military funding?
80% total spending
Who was responsible for inflation?
H H Kung- who just printed more money to solve the Nationalists’ funding problems
Why was there a taxation problem for the GMD government in the 1930s and 1940s? (4 pt)
- The provincial governments were often late passing on revenue
- These governments also imposed their own taxes on everyday items (e.g. Gansu peasants in the 1930s had to pay 44 different kinds of tax)
- Some officials collected tax in excess of the prescribed amount
- Some officials collected tax decades in advance
How many corruption reports did the Control Yuan receive between 1931 and 1937? How many were found to be at fault?
69,500
268
When was the New Life Movement launched?
19th February 1934
What was the New Life Movement? (2 pt)
- An attempt by Chiang to combat corruption and improve the character of the Chinese people
- Influenced by Confucian thought and Methodist Christianity
What were the 4 main principles of the New Life Movement?
- Social decency
- Honesty
- Right conduct
- Self-respect
What were the 96 rules? Who enforced them?
Details of offenses in the New Life Movement which outlined behaviour that was not virtuous or austere
Young thugs loyal to the nationalist regime
What was the ultimate result of the New Life Movement?
- Intruded into people’s lives
- Little impact on the peasantry
- Showed hypocrisy of the nationalist leadership (Director of Shanghai’s Opium Suppression Bureau was Big Ears Du who financed the government with profits from Opium sales)
Who were the Blue Shirts?
A secret military brotherhood founded in 1932 who swore to advance Chiang’s supreme leadership by any means it could.
How many Blue Shirt members were there by 1935?
14,000
How many people is it estimated that the GMD killed during the Nationalist Decade under the secret police?
300 000
