THE PRINCIPLES AND CAUSES OF THE CHINESE REVOLUTION

By OGUJIOFOR NONSO TIMOTHY

In critically examining the principles and causes of the Chinese revolution, it would be important to note the early factors that finally lead to the Chinese revolution. It is being behaved that revolutionary creation must follow the part of modern progress, utilizing the past experience of other countries avoiding their mistakes and making use of their achievements.

In looking at the view of a foremost revolutionist that in the year in 1911 by name SUN-YAT-SEN who later assumed the provincial president of chine in 1912 and ordered the proclamation of the Chinese republic. He stated that at that period, the Revolution was long over-due.

The various stages that transpired in the Chinese revolution are

THE BOXER REBELLION                                           1899 – 1901

XINHAI                                                                         1911 – 1912

NORTHERN                                                                 1926 – 1928

CHINESE CIVIL WAR                                                 1927 – 1930

CHINESE REVOLUTION                                            1946 – 1952

CULTURAL                                                                  1966 – 1976

TIANANMEN SQUARE PROTEST                                      19 89 

THE BOXER REBELLION 1999 – 1901

The boxer rebellion also known as Yihituan movement was identified by an anti-foreign, proto nationalist movement by the Righteous Harmony Society in China between 1899 and 1901, this group mainly opposed foreign imperialism and Christianity, the uprising took place against a background of severe drought and economic disruption in response to growth of foreign spheres of influence.

Their grievances ranged from political invasion ranging back to the opium wars and economic incursions, to missionary evangelism which the weak Qing States could not resist, concerns grew  that missionaries could use the sponsorship of their governments and their extrametrical status to the advantage of Chinese Christians appropriating  lands and property of unwilling Chinese villagers to give to the church after several months of growing violence against foreign and Christian presence in Shandong and the North China Plain, in June 1900, boxer fights, convinced that they were invulnerable to foreign weapons converged on bejing with the slogan, “support the Qing exterminate the foreigners”

The boxer protocol of 7 September, 1901 provided for execution of government officials who had supported the boxer’s provisions for foreign troops to be stationed in Beijing, and an indemnity of 67 million pounds more than the government annual tax revenue to be paid as indemnity over a course of thirty nine years to the eight nations.

It can be generally asserted that the major reason the boxers stood and challenged the foreign imperialism was due to the economic incursion by the foreigners and also to exterminate the foreigners.

THE XINHIA REVOLUTION 1911 – 1912

The Xinhai Revolution of 1911 also known as the Hsin – hai Revolution was known as the Revolution that overthrew the China’s  last imperial dynasty, which was the Qing Dynasty and established the Republic of China.

The reason why the revolution was named xinhai (Hsin - Hai) was due to the fact that it occurred in 1911, which was the year of the Vin – Hai stem, branch in the sexagenary cycle of the chinese calendar.

Generally, the revolution was made up of many revolts and uprisings. The major turning point was the wuchang uprising on October 10 1911, this was as a result of the mishandling of the railway protection movement, the revolution ended with the abdication of the “last emperor”  Puyi on February 12 1912 that marked the end of over 2,000 years of imperial rule and the beginning of chin’s republican era.

The revolution arose mainly in response to the decline of the Qing state, which had proven ineffective in its efforts to modernize China and confront foreign aggression, and was exacerbated by ethnic resentment against the ruling manch minority.  Many underground anti-Qing groups with the support of Chinese revolutions in exile tried to overthrow the Qing. The brief civil was the ensued was ended through a political compromise between Yuan Shikai the late Qing strongman, and Sun-Yat-Sen the leader of the Tongmenghui (United League).

Nowadays both the Republic of China in Taiwan and the peoples republic of China on the mainland consider themselves to be successors to the Xinhai Revolution and continue to pay homage to the ideals of the revolution including Nationalism, Republicanism, Modernization of China and National Unity.

NORTHERN EXPEDITION 1926 - 1928           

This was seen as a military campaign led by the kuomintang (KMT) from 1926 to 1928, it was also known as Northern March and it begun from the K.M.T power base in Guangdong Province. Their main objective was to Unity China under the Kuomintang banner by ending the rule of local warlords. It led to the demise of the Beiyang Government and to the Chinese reunification of 1928.

In 1925, the May 30^th movement announced plans for strike and protest against western imperialism and its warlord agents in China.

The success of the Northern Expedition can largely be attributed to both the KMT and CPC working together militarily, this unison of the time, was strongly encouraged by the Soviet Union who wanted to see a United China.

The main targets of this expedition were three notorious and powerful warlords, Zhang Zoolin who governed Manchuria . Wu Peifu in the central plain region and Sun Chuanfang on the east coast, advised by the famous Russian general. Vasily Bluukher under the Beudogym Galen, the HQ of the expedition decided to use all its powers to defeat these warlords one by one first wu then Sun and finally 2hang.

The Northern expedition is viewed positively in China today because H- ended a period of disorder and started the formation of an effective central government, however, it did not fully solve the  warlord problem, as many warlords still had large armies that served their needs not those of China.

THE CHINESE CIVIL WAR

This was a civil war fought in China between forces that was loyal to the government of the Republic of China led by the Kuomintang (KMT) and forces of the communist party of China  (CPC) the war began in April 1927 amidst the Northern Expedition and essentially ended when major active battles ceased in 1950. The conflict eventually resulted in two de facto state, the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan and the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) in mainland China both claiming to be the legitimate government of China.

The was represented an ideological Spilt (Left Vs Right) between the communist CPC and the KMTs brand of Nationalism. The civil war continued intermittently until late 1937, when the two parties formed a second unit font to canter a Japanese invasion

CHINESE REVOLUTION

This was seen as the second part of the Chinese civil war and this period was called the war of liberation

When the breakdown of peace talks between the Chinese National Party and the communist part of china (CPC) an all out war between these two forces resumed, the soviet union provided little aid to the communists, and the United States assisted the Nationalist with hundreds of millions of dollars with of military supplies equipments as well as the airlifting of many Nationalist troops from central china to Manchuria an area chiang kai-shek saw as strategically vital to defend National controlled area against a communist advance. By the time the Chinese civil war was drawing to a does, Nationalist force were surviving almost entirely by the grace of their international capitalist sympathizes (chiefly the United States of American)

Ultimately, the people’s liberation Army was Victorious on October 1 1949, man Zedong proclaimed the establishment of the peoples republic of china, chiang kai-sheok 600.000 Nationalist troops, and about two million Nationalist-sympathizer refuges, from the former Government and business communities of the mainland, retread to the island of Taiwan and proclaimed the republic of china.

Cultural Revolution 1966-1976

This is also known as the Great proletarian Cultural Revolution was a social-political movement that took place in the people’s republic of china from 1966 through 1976. Set into motion by Mao Zedong then Chairman of the Communist Party of china. The Revolution was launched in May 1966. Their stated goal was to entire communism in the country by removing capitalist traditional and cultural elements from Chinese society, and to impose maoist orthodcocy with the party, the revolution marked the return of Mao Zedong to a position of power after the failed Great leap forward the movement paralyzed china politically and significantly affected the country economically and socially

It was been alleged that bourgeois elements wire infiltrating the Government and society at large, aiming to restore capitalism he insisted that these revisionists be removed through violent class struggle. China’s youth responded to Mao’s appeal by forming red-Guard group round the country. Millions of people were persecuted in the violent factional struggle that ensued across the country, and suffered a wide spread of abuse include public humiliation, arbitrary imprisonment, torture sustained harassment and seizure of property

Mao officially declared the cultural reduction to have ended in 1969 but its active phase lasted until the death of

The military leader lin Bio in 1971, the Political Instability between 1971 and the arrest of the Gang of four in 1976 is now widely seen as part of the Revolution after mao’s death in 1975, reformers led by Deng Xiaoping gained prominence, the cultural Revolution is been accepted and officially seen as a negative phenomenon that affected the people negatively.

TIANANMEN PROTESTS OF 1989

This is also known as the June fourth in Chinese, this protest was led by students popular demonstration in Beiying in the spring of 1989 that received broad support from CHY residents and exposed deep spits within china’s   political leadership but were forcibly suppressed by hard line leaders who ordered the military to enforce martial law in the country’s capital.

The military troops came with assault rifles and tanks and inflicted thousands of casualties on unarmed civilians trying to block the military’s advance on Tiananmen square in the heart of Beijing which student demonstrators had occupied for seven weeks. The scale of military mobilization and the resulting bloodshed was unprecedented in the History of Beijing.

The protest was triggered in April 189 by the death of former communist party-general secretary Hu-Yaobang a liberal reformer, who was deposed after losing a power struggle with hardliners over the direction of Chinese economic and political reform, University Students who gathered at Tiananmen square to mourn Hu also voiced grievance against inflation, limited career prospects and corruption of the party elite.

They called for Government accountability. Freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and the restoration of worker’s control over industry. At the height of the protest about a million people assembled in the square. Internationally, the Chinese Government was widely condemned for the use of force against the protestors, and the western Government imposed economic sanctions and arms embargo. Later in July that yeas soviet president Mikhail Gorbachey. Who visited Beijing during the protests in may, renounced the Brechney doctrine and the revolutions that swept eastern Europe in the fall and winter of 1989 proceeded largely peaceful.