1. Chinese
Revolution

2. Nationalists
• Overthrew last Qing
emperor in 1911
• Led by Sun Yixian
– Chinese need unity, not
freedom
• “Three Principles of the
People”
– End to foreign control
– Democracy
– Economic security
• Local warlords seized
power - civil war

3. May Fourth Movement
Protests erupted throughout China against
how China had been treated by Europe
After World War I, China expected to get back the lands that
Germany had controlled, but instead the Treaty of Versailles
gave those lands to Japan.

4. Communists
• One of founders:
Mao Zedong
• Changed Marx’s
ideas -
peasants, not
workers, would
rise up

5. First United Front
• Alliance between
Nationalists and
Communists
against warlords
• Nationalists led
by Jiang Jieshi

6. Shanghai Massacre
• Jiang’s troops
turned on
Communists and
killed them in
streets
• Communists never
forgave Nationalists

7. Nationalist Republic of China
• Jiang became
president of
new
government in
1928
• Reforms only
felt in
cities, peasant
s still suffered

8. The Long March
Nationalists surrounded
Communists and cut off
supplies
100,000 fled and
marched 6,000 miles to
northern China

9. Second United
Front
Jiang’s men
forced him to
ally with
Communists
against real
threat:
Japan

10. Japan Invades
• End of 1937 -
Japan
controlled most
coastal cities
and industrial
areas
• Massive
bombings, star
vation, atrocitie
s killed millions
of Chinese

11. War of Resistance
• Communists fought Japan in the north - Mao
used guerilla tactics
• Nationalists dominated south and got aid from
allies
– Most aid ended up
in hands of corrupt
officers
– Jiang used aid to
build up army to
fight
Communists, and let
America fight Japan

12. Civil War
• Nationalists outnumbered
Communists 3 to 1, and had
aid from U.S.
• But Nationalists faced:
– Little popular support
– Economy collapsing
– Corrupt officials
– Soldiers deserting
to Communists
– Less disciplined
troops
– Communists had
popularity - gave
land to poor

13. People’s Republic of China
• Mao gained control of entire country and
Nationalists fled to Taiwan
• China became a Communist country in 1949