CHINESE REVOLUTION
- The Chinese Revolution refers mainly to the overthrow of dynastic rule in 1911 and the Communist Revolution in 1949.
- The Qing Dynasty, China’s last imperial dynasty, was overthrown in the 1911 Revolution led by Sun Yat-sen.
- The Republic of China was established in 1912, ending over two thousand years of imperial rule.
- Warlordism, foreign interference, and internal instability plagued China after the fall of the Qing Dynasty.
- The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was founded in 1921, inspired by Marxist and Soviet ideas.
- A civil war broke out between the Nationalists (Kuomintang or KMT) and the Communists.
- The Communists, led by Mao Zedong, gained support from peasants through land reforms and guerrilla warfare.
- The Long March (1934–1935) was a strategic retreat by the Communists that became a symbol of determination.
- The civil war paused during World War II, when both sides united against Japanese invasion.
- After the war, the civil conflict resumed, ending with Communist victory in 1949.
- Mao Zedong declared the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949.
- The Nationalists retreated to Taiwan, where they continued to claim to be the legitimate government of all China.
- The revolution led to radical political, economic, and social changes under Communist rule.
