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Revolution of 1911
Revolution of 1911
national humiliation but also forced her to submit to the dictated terms
of the Westerners. As the result of these imposed treaties, China lost
her teritorics, control over her tariff system, and sovereign powers, These
treaties proved as iron bars that encircled her frecdom. Hence, the Manchu
govermment foreited her right to rule as well as the confidence of the
people.
18. Russo-Japanese War. When the Chinese saw that the Japanese
scored a brilliant victory over the Russians in 1905 they also wanted to
follow the path of Japan. They saw that the conservative Manchus were
the only obstacles in their progressive path. The Japanese victory not
only infused national spirit but also strengthened the Anti-Manchu element.
Immediate Causes of the Revolution
The railroad nationlisation by the government provided the
necessary
spark to an already explosive situation. From 1905, Chinese financiers
were forming combines for building railroads, side by side with foreigners.
In 1911, the government nationalised the private railway building rights.
The purpose was to mortgage these rights to raise a foreign loan of six
million pounds. This was construed by the revolutionaries and the provincial
authorities as a bid to crush the revolt with foreign money. When a
protest march was in progress, the viceroy ordered the arrest of the leaders
and firing on the mob. On October 10, 1911 an accidental explosion at
Hankow in the house of a Russian revealed the activities of the
revolutionaries. Fearing repression the revolutionaries broke out into open
rebellion.
Significance and Character of the Revolution
The important characteristics of the Revolution lay in the fact that
it was anti-Manchu, anti-traditional and anti-foreign with a strong dose
of nationalistic ferment.
The Revolution of 1911 brought the Manchu rule in
end. Obviously the dynasty had lost its moral basis to rule China to an
was but inevitable that an incompetent, corrupt and China. It
like that that of the Manchus should sooner or later decadent dynasty
was however hastened by the mounting Western impactcollapse. Its end
and the national
spirit that came in its wake. The political transition from the anarchical
Manchu misrule to Republic was deceptively peaceful. The Republic
had a constitution, parliamentary procedures, codes of law but only on
paper. The constitution was not understood, the parliamentary
were not followed and the law codes were ncver enforced. procedures
The result
was the Republic opened on an era of disorder and turmoil.
In the early Republican years, China was faced with internal chaos,
THE REVOLUTION OF 1911 91
dynasties
from capital, generally in Beijing. The
the
abdication in 1912 could and did lead to disruptions. Six centu-
not
d
sUCCeSsive
gmav
emperork
ofunityhad prevented the country's dismemberment. However, the
oiag symbol,of unity, cast China into uncharted waters, creating
s eo
emperor,a
sr S O
ofan
conditions. Although a central government was established in Beijing
lack
wastable and in Nanjing and Chongjing from 1928 to 1949, neither
I916
to entire country. Japanese encroachment starting in r915 and cul-
the
controlled
Japanese attack of 1937 contributed to disunity and chaos.
in
minating
the
1911
REVOLUTION AND ITS AFTERMATH
THE
theleader most often associated with the 19II revolution, although,
Sun
Yat-sen
is
downfall of
he. scarcely played a role in the events leading directly to the
fact,
in His
encomium as Father of the Chinese Republic may be somewhat
the
Qing.
misleading.He became a national figure and even anational hero, but he hardly
H
wielded much
authority over China during his own lifetime. He never
ever
country's chief executive and played an entirely different role.
becamethe
had disadvantages as a political leader in China. Although he was
Sun was
bornin
Guangdong province, he spent most of his life outside China. He
in Hawaii and attended medical school in Hong Kong.
Perhaps
educated
WARLORDS IN POWER
Xinjiangillustrates the potential for dismemberment
The northwest province of by the Qing in themiddle ofthe eighteenth century
of the country. Conquered throughout the nineteenth century, Xinjiang
had, in
and riveted by rebellion mostly non
connections with China. The Qing had ruled awho engaged
any case, loose composed of pastoralists and oasis-dwellers
Chinese population Turkic
Although the vast majority of the people were
n subsistence farming. warlord named Yang Zengxin (1867-1928) took power
and Muslim, a Chinese revolution. A tough-minded,
oppressive, and
n the aftermath of the r9II well-organized military force. He
advantage of a
Snrewd leader, he had the
the local, non-Chinese inhabitants with
combined ruthless suppression of from exploitative Chinese merchants. His
protection
ne relief measures and (including secret societies
forces dealt harshly with both Chinese dissidents who demanded inde-
autonomy) and Turkic governors but in
who sought greater agreements with some non-Chinese governors, successful
pendence. He devised recalcitrant chieftains. One of his from
SOme cases duped and murdered them and thus prevent them
tactics was to generate conflicts among he had enforced a certain stability
few years,
allying with each other. WVithin aremained and would, on
in beneath the surface
although tensions
Xinjiang,
337