Photograph:Sun Yat-sen led the Chinese revolutionary movement that overthrew the Manchu dynasty.
The Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) The Manchus who established the Qing Dynasty were descendants of the Jurchens who lived in the central plains. In the sixteenth century Nurhachi who was a Jurchen hero took control of all the tribes by military power and became the founder of the Qing Dynasty.In 1644 peasant rebels led by Li Zicheng took control of Beijing and as a result the Ming emperor Chongzhen committed suicide.When the Manchus saw that the Ming Dynasty was weak they took that opportunity and defeated Li Zicheng in 1644. The Manchu minority of 5 million ruled the Han majority of 400 million which caused racial tensions between the Manchu and the Han and influenced Chinese revolutionary theories.
After the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) After losing this war China felt the need for political reform, although most Chinese intellectuals were not in favor of a revolution. Imperial China was forced to relinquish control over still more of its territory, losing Taiwan and Manchuria. Russo-Japanese War (1904-05) The Russo-Japanese war established Japanese claims to the Northeast and weakened Qing rule. The combination of increasing imperial demands from both Japan and the west caused further frustration with the Manchu government and the desire to see a unified China spurred revolutionary ideas.
Kang Youwei Kang Youwei was a Confucian scholar who was born into a weathly family, he was a famous young calcalligrapher who was also very interested in politics and political reform. Kang was against traditional Chinese familiy customs like binding of feet. For this he was looked as a women's right advocate. He was an important figure in the 100 days reform.
Determined from his youth to apply his learning to Chinas salvationKang Youwei enjoyed a brief, brilliant moment of political influence during the Hundred Days of Reform in 1898.(Library of Congress)
Qing last efforts at constitutional reform In 1905 the court abolished the examination system which had limited political power to elites who passed complicated exams on Chinese classics. Faced with increasing foreign challenges the Qing worked to modernize its military. Also, the court attempted a limited decentralization of power and created elected assemblies because its central power was weakening.
Revolutionary Alliance Sun Yat-sen: led the groups that together formed the Revolutionary Alliance. The Revolutionary Alliance advocated replacing Qing rule with a republican government. The Revolutionary Alliance attempted seven or more different revolts against the Qing but were ultimately stopped by the the Qing army.
The Republic of China Before Yuan Shikai, the new premier of China could retake the captured areas from the revolutionaries, the provinces started to declare their allegiance to the Revolutionary Alliance. When Sun Yat-sen returned to China from a fundraising tour, Nanjing(a former capital under the Ming Dynasty) had been taken under control by the revolutionaries and representatives from the provinces began to arrive for the first national assembly. Together they elected Sun the president of the newly declared Republic of China. Sun Yat-sen telegramed Yuan Shikai to promise that if he agreed to the formation of the republic, the position of president would be his. With the military position of the Qing weakening and provisions made for the maintenance of the royal family at court, the emperor and his family abdicated the throne in February of 1912.
The Chinese Revolution 1911
The Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)
The Manchus who established the Qing Dynasty were descendants of the Jurchens who lived in the central plains. In the sixteenth century Nurhachi who was a Jurchen hero took control of all the tribes by military power and became the founder of the Qing Dynasty.In 1644 peasant rebels led by Li Zicheng took control of Beijing and as a result the Ming emperor Chongzhen committed suicide.When the Manchus saw that the Ming Dynasty was weak they took that opportunity and defeated Li Zicheng in 1644.
The Manchu minority of 5 million ruled the Han majority of 400 million which caused racial tensions between the Manchu and the Han and influenced Chinese revolutionary theories.
After the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895)
After losing this war China felt the need for political reform, although most Chinese intellectuals were not in favor of a revolution. Imperial China was forced to relinquish control over still more of its territory, losing Taiwan and Manchuria.
Russo-Japanese War ( 1904-05)
The Russo-Japanese war established Japanese claims to the Northeast and weakened Qing rule.
The combination of increasing imperial demands from both Japan and the west caused further frustration with the Manchu government and the desire to see a unified China spurred revolutionary ideas.
Kang Youwei
Kang Youwei was a Confucian scholar who was born into a weathly family, he was a famous young calcalligrapher who was also very interested in politics and political reform. Kang was against traditional Chinese familiy customs like binding of feet. For this he was looked as a women's right advocate. He was an important figure in the 100 days reform.
In 1905 the court abolished the examination system which had limited political power to elites who passed complicated exams on Chinese classics. Faced with increasing foreign challenges the Qing worked to modernize its military. Also, the court attempted a limited decentralization of power and created elected assemblies because its central power was weakening.
Revolutionary Alliance
Sun Yat-sen: led the groups that together formed the Revolutionary Alliance. The Revolutionary Alliance advocated replacing Qing rule with a republican government. The Revolutionary Alliance attempted seven or more different revolts against the Qing but were ultimately stopped by the the Qing army.
The Republic of China
Before Yuan Shikai, the new premier of China could retake the captured areas from the revolutionaries, the provinces started to declare their allegiance to the Revolutionary Alliance. When Sun Yat-sen returned to China from a fundraising tour, Nanjing(a former capital under the Ming Dynasty) had been taken under control by the revolutionaries and representatives from the provinces began to arrive for the first national assembly. Together they elected Sun the president of the newly declared Republic of China.
Sun Yat-sen telegramed Yuan Shikai to promise that if he agreed to the formation of the republic, the position of president would be his. With the military position of the Qing weakening and provisions made for the maintenance of the royal family at court, the emperor and his family abdicated the throne in February of 1912.