History of The Chinese Revolution in 1911
History of The Chinese Revolution in 1911
History of The Chinese Revolution in 1911 - The Chinese Revolution in 1911 or what is commonly called the Chinese National Revolution in 1911 was rooted in the anxiety and suffering of the Chinese people as a result of the weak government during the Qing Dynasty. From the early days of the formation of the first dynasties until 1912, China was always governed by a dynastic system in which the appointment of an emperor was based on lineage.
The last dynasty to rule in China was the Qing Dynasty which was also called the Manchu Dynasty because it originated from Manchuria. The Qing dynasty ruled for approximately 200 years and ended in 1912 when a revolution took place to overthrow the empire and dynastic system. Below will be explained about the process of the Chinese Revolution in 1911.
Background to the Chinese Revolution in 1911
Entering the 19th century European traders who had entered the Asian continent and had started their colonialism and imperialism practices, China also began to establish trade relations with Europeans, especially with Britain. In this trade Britain attempted to smuggle the opium it had obtained from India in an attempt to enter and rule in China. Realizing the dangers of opium, the Manchu Emperor ordered a ban on the opium trade.
The prohibition of the opium trade created tensions between China and Britain which caused them to be involved in the Opium War (1840-1860) in which the Chinese had to pay dearly for their defeat by paying compensation and opening several ports for Britain and other European nations, so that China divided into several areas controlled by Western nations where these areas have become independent territories and no longer obey the laws in force in China.
Feelings of hostility towards the Western nation began to peak when the Taiping movement was based on the aspiration of the Chinese nation to establish a country of eternal peace (Taiping Tien Kuo) and was followed by the emergence of the Boxer movement as a reaction to the spread of Christianity, where the Qing Dynasty government gave help to this movement. However, the Boxer movement can be extinguished by the joint forces of Western countries.
The figures of the Qing dynasty finally agreed to make changes as quickly as possible, but before the plan was implemented, the emperor himself opposed it so that the figures were arrested and sentenced to death. The peak of the Qing Dynasty's displeasure with the West was growing and it had boosted the national spirit spearheaded by the educated groups. The main character who pioneered the birth of this national ideal was dr. Sun yat Sen.
The educated group began to carry out its movement by establishing various organizations which in 1905 dr. Sun Yat Sen combined all these organizations by establishing Tung Meng Hui which was based on the three pillars of popular sovereignty (San Min Chu-I) which included nationalism, democracy and socialism. Not only educated groups, feelings of nationalism also developed among the army and members of parliament in various regions by creating various units to launch rebellions in an effort to eliminate the Manchu (Qing) dynasty.
The successes achieved by the educated group led to a revolution in which the nationalists established a republican government. In that success, dr. Sun Yat Sen is crowned the first president and runs the government in Nanking and controls the modern-minded southern Chinese region. Meanwhile, northern China was still under the rule of the Manchu dynasty, which was controlled by the aristocracy where the position of the emperor was only a symbol of power, while the emperor could not influence any policies, especially policies related to politics and security.
The domination and penetration of the Western nation in exerting influence in China has incorporated Western thoughts into the joints of Chinese life. These thoughts were later studied by young and educated people who gave rise to a new generation of modern thinking.
The Chinese people were deeply disillusioned by the old and weak system of government of the Manchu dynasty. Some evidence of the weakness of the Manchu government, namely in the Japan-China war (1894- 1895) China could easily be defeated by Japan, in the Russo-Japanese war (1904-1905) which occurred in areas within China (Manchuria, Korea and Shantung) where the Manchu dynasty did not dare to take decisive action on this issue and in the end were only a puppet for the interests of foreign nations rather than prioritizing Chinese interests with all the consequences.
This disappointment eventually turned into hatred that hoped for the removal of the Manchu government which was also a foreign government for the Chinese nation, by giving birth to Chinese nationalism. This nationalism was strengthened by the Japanese victory over Russia, in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, as proof that the East can defeat the West. Therefore, various thoughts emerged, that only modernization can save. Since then many Chinese youths have studied in Japan and other Western countries, including Chiang Kai-Shek. These overseas students are the driving force and supporters of the Chinese national revolution.
The failure of the Boxer Movement has opened up the viewpoint of Cixi and his ministers who are conservative about the need for reform. Foreign nations cannot be defeated by force, moreover, China's weapons and technology are very far behind when compared to Western nations. In 1905, a modern education as a substitute for the old system which only studied classical books, was introduced. The nine-year plan for an overhaul of the constitution was set for action in 1908.
However, the plan failed because Cixi died on November 15, 1908, while Emperor Guangxu died on November 16, 1908. Cixi's grandson, Puyi, who was only three years old, was later appointed as emperor of the Qing Dynasty and at the same time became the last good emperor for him. The Qing Dynasty as well as for China. Emperor Puyi was still a toddler, so the reins of power were held by a group of inexperienced and corrupt Manchu princes along with Prince Chun II, Puyi's father as regent.
The often-accepted defeats of the Western nations and the inability of the emperor to govern, as well as the growing suffering of the people, resulted in the strengthening of anti-Manchu sentiment. This sentiment has given rise to various uprisings and movements of the Chinese people. The influence of Western democratic thought through foreign extraterritorial areas, mostly located in southern China, is the cause of the emergence of reform figures in China.
Realizing the situation and conditions were getting worse, the empire promised the formation of a People's Council. However, the People's Council which was promised to be formed in 1906 was only successfully formed in 1910 and held its first session. On this occasion the people demanded a cabinet or council of ministers. This demand was granted, but the people were not satisfied, because some of the leaders were appointed Prince Jing who was notorious for being corrupt. In addition, among the 13 members, only 4 were Chinese, while the rest were of Manchu descent. Because of this dissatisfaction, the people continued to rebel against the government.
Chronology of the Chinese Revolution in 1911
The figure of the Chinese leader who appeared in the revolutionary movement to achieve Chinese independence was Dr. Sun Yat Sen, by having the Western culture of Chinese youths "the new learning" with the intention of modernizing China. The first step taken by Sun Yat Sen was to study Western thoughts including socialism to various countries, including Europe and Japan. In Japan, Sun Yat Sen founded the anti-Manchu movement (Tung Meng Hui / Zhongguo Dongmenghui) which was intended to:
1. Expelling the Manchus;
2. Reclaiming China for the Chinese;
3. Establishing a country in the form of a republic; and,
4. Generalizing land ownership.
Sun Yat Sen finally returned to China to carry out the nationalism movement with the aim of forming the unity of the Chinese state under a government strong enough to build a New China that was free and fully sovereign and the view that this New China should be based on San Min Chu I (Three Principles of the People ), namely the three pillars of people's sovereignty which include Nationalism, Democracy and Socialism. It should be noted that many Chinese people living abroad provide financial support for the Sun Yat Sen movement, so that Sun Yat Sen's movement in China is running smoothly.
The revolutionaries got bolder by carrying out a revolt by killing the Manchu general in Canton on April 27, 1911. The rebellion led by Huang Xing was crushed by the empire and 72 revolutionaries were killed or sentenced to death. Meanwhile, the conditions of the Qing Dynasty were exacerbated by movements demanding autonomy carried out by various provinces, such as in Sichua.
The Society Dongmenghui initiated by Sun Yat Sen planned to carry out the movement again at the end of 1911. This movement first planned to take the city of Wuchang in Hubei Province. However, since the list of rebel names had fallen into government hands, the movement had to be implemented as soon as possible. Several wealthy Chinese asked the Manchu government for permission to open a railroad in Sichuan. The request was refused and permission was granted to a joint foreign partnership (ie the British French German American Consortum).
On 10 October 1911 a national revolution broke out in Wuchang, the rebels first cut their pigtails, which the Chinese had been obliged to wear since the reign of the Manchu dynasty, and after that they attacked the viceroy's residence. Before daybreak, the rebels had succeeded in taking control of the city of Wuchang. Even so, the rebels faced difficulties, because Sun Yat Sen was in America, Zhen Qimei was in Shanghai, while General Huang Xing had not arrived. Therefore, the revolutionaries made Li Yuanhong, a colonel, their leader. This election was due to Li Yuanhong's experience in foreign relations and his participation in the Sino-Japanese war.
After his appointment, Li Yuanhong issued a statement that the Qing Dynasty had collapsed and a new revolutionary military government had been formed. Li Yuanhong also contacted the foreign ambassadors and stated that the revolutionary government would still respect the agreements made with foreign nations and protect their citizens, provided it did not provide assistance to the Qing Dynasty.
On 12 October 1911 the arms factory in Hanyang fell into the hands of the revolutionaries. The provinces started to side with the revolutionaries, so that only Henan and Zhili were left among the 18 provinces which still supported the Qing Dynasty.
Responding to this incident, the Qing Dynasty government then appointed Yuan Shikai as the viceroy of Huguang with the task of quelling the rebellion, but Yuan Shikai did not take decisive action according to the task he had received. In another attempt to extinguish the flames of revolution, on October 22, 1911, the National Council held an emergency session in Beijing. On October 27, 1911, they essentially adopted resolutions demanding that the imperial family not be allowed to become members of the cabinet as well as permission for the formation of political parties.
On October 30, 1911, the Qing Dynasty government issued four decrees at once; the first contains an admission that all this chaos was caused by the depravity of the Qing Dynasty government itself. The two ordered Prince Bu Lun and his associates to draw up a draft constitution and then submit it to the National Council. The third contains the admission that a cabinet consisting of rulers is not in accordance with the ideals of a constitutional state and the state will appoint capable people as ministers. The fourth provides amnesty for persons who have committed offenses since 1898, either who have been detained for leading the rebellion or who have managed to escape abroad. However, the order that was issued was too late.
Aware of the increasingly dangerous situation, the Qing Dynasty government appointed Yuan Shikai as prime minister on November 7, 1911 to replace Prince Qing who resigned. On November 11, 1911, dr. Wu Dingfang, the minister of foreign affairs in the cabinet of the revolutionary government, filed a demand for Prince Chun II as regent for Emperor Xuandong to resign. This demand was answered by appointing Yuan Shikai the supreme civilian and military ruler in order to secure the position of the increasingly squeezed imperial family.
On November 13, a new cabinet was appointed, of which only three were of Manchu descent. Prince Chun II also took an oath to comply with the constitution which contains 19 articles that have been passed by the National Council. So that at that time it could be said that there were two governments that ruled China, namely the Qing Dynasty which ruled in the north and the revolutionary government in southern China.
The revolutionary government began to seek foreign support. Through dr. Wu Dingfang he sent explanations to the foreign ambassadors about the purpose of the revolution. Dr. Wu Dingfang stated that independence is the right of all nations and the Qing Dynasty government should realize that they have no more possibility of surviving forever.
Prince Chun II was unable to defend his position and resigned on December 6, 1911. By the end of December, victories began to appear in favor of the revolutionaries. Yuan Shikai sent Tang Shaoyi to Shanghai for talks with dr. Wu Dingfang.
Tang Shaoyi arrived in Shanghai on December 17, 1911 and six foreign consuls in Shanghai expressed their hope that on December 20, 1911, the conflict would be resolved peacefully. However, dr. Wu Dingfang continued to demand that the monarchical form of government be replaced by a republican government. Finally, the two sides agreed that the question of this form of government would be left to the National Council which represented all the people, and on December 28, 1911, the Qing Dynasty government agreed to this.
Before signing the agreement, dr. Sun Yat Sen had arrived in Shanghai after seeking foreign support, especially British, not to make loans to the Qing dynasty. Meanwhile, the provincial representatives held a meeting in Nanjing and declared their side of the revolutionaries. Based on the results of this meeting, it was agreed that dr. Sun Yat Sen was appointed president of the provisional government of the Republic of China which was inaugurated on January 11, 1912. After the appointment of dr. Sun Yat Sen as president, the fate of the Qing Dynasty is only a matter of time for its collapse.
Establishment of the Republic of China
On January 1, 1912, dr. Sun Yat Sen was appointed president of Nanjing and founded the Republic of China. On January 2, 1912, dr. Sun Yat Sen stated that the reign of the Qing Dynasty, which had lasted for 200 years, was in increasingly bad conditions, so the people decided to immediately end the Qing Dynasty. dr. Sun Yat Sen stated that the foundation of a country is the people.
The various major nations inhabiting China; Han, Manchu, Mongol, Hui and Tibet will be united into one great nation. As a symbol of this unity, the new flag of the Republic of China was established, using a flag of five colors: red (han), yellow (Manchu), blue (Mongol), white (Hui), and black (Tibet).
On the other hand, the Qing Dynasty government had realized that their power was difficult to maintain. On February 12, 1912, Empress Long Yu was forced to issue an edict signed by Yuan Shikai as prime minister. The edict stated that the mother and Emperor Xuandong (Puyi) handed over their sovereignty to all Chinese people.
Based on this declaration, the Qing Dynasty ended and the dynastic system that had ruled China for thousands of years. The court then handed Yuan Shikai the mandate to establish a provisional government, but they asked that the emperor be allowed to hold his title and be given an annual salary of $ 4 million. In addition, the royal family should be allowed to retain wealth.
Yuan Shihkai reported the fall of the Qing Dynasty to Sun Yat Sen in Nanjing. The step taken by Yuan Shihkai was to carry out negotiations with Dr. Sun Yat Sen, whose contents are Yuan Shihkai, is willing to remove and eliminate the Manchu kingdom to form an independent China state (a Republic covering all of China) on condition that Yuan Shihkai is the president, and Dr. Sun was also willing to accept the offer on the basis of the interests of the unity of the entire Chinese nation.
The Republic of China now covers all of China. Sun Yat Sen resigns as president and the promotion of Yuan Shihkai as president of China replaces Dr. Sun Yat Sen. Dr. Sun Yat Sen resigned to Canton on August 13, 1912 and founded the Kuo Min Tang (Nationalist Party) to implement San Min Chu I and keep the nationalist, democratic and socialistic wheels of the Republic of China government going. Meanwhile Yuan Shikai appointed generals as governors of the provinces to maintain his position. It was this military governor who later turned into warlords after Yuan Shikai's death who fought each other for power and caused a lot of chaos and suffering for the Chinese people as a whole.