Chinese+Revolution+9R

=CHINESE REVOLUTION 1911/ XINHAI REVOLUTION = = = =**Seung Lee Choi, Keon Huh, Dang Wan Kim, Sung Joon Kim, Juliette Castaing **=


 * GENERAL INFORMATION **
 * **When did the Revolution happen?** 10th of October, 1911 - 1st of January, 1912
 * **Where did the Revolution happen?** China
 * **What are other names of the Revolution?** The 1911 Revolution, the Chinese Republican Revolution
 * **Who gained victory in the Revolution?** Chinese Revolutionary Alliance
 * **Who were included in the war during the Revolution?**
 * Chinese Revolutionary Alliance
 * Qing Dynasty
 * **Who were the commanders?**
 * Revolutionaries: Li Yuanhong, Huang Hsing, Sun Yat-sen
 * Imperials: Feng Guozhang, Yuan Shikai
 * **What event did the Revolution start with?** Wu Chang Uprising (10th of October, 1911)
 * **What event did the Revolution end with? T**he Surrender of Emperor Pu Yi (Qing Dynasty) (12th of Rebruary, 1912)


 * CAUSES **

**__ A. Political factors __**

**i.** **Inefficient emperors** - As the Ch'ing emperor held absolute power, administration in Beijing was efficient only if he was an able man. In the 19th century, however, there was **no great Ch'ing emperor**.


 * ii.** **Lack of able Manchu leadership** - the Manchus had always enjoyed powerful political influence greater than their small number should give them. Yet in the late 19th century, **capable Manchu leadership was lacking**.


 * iii.** **Downward spread of administrative inefficiency in the government** - Without an able emperor to supervise the officials, they became more **incompetent,** especially when the political structure itself had always the effect of discouraging energetic action in administration.


 * iv.** **Corruption** - High officials received **"gifts(bribes)"** from low officials. In turn, low officials put government money into their own pockets. Heavy taxes were imposed on the people, who suffered economically.


 * v.** **Growth of the scholar-gentry's local power** - Because of corruption and inefficiency in the government, the local magistrate was increasingly dependent on the scholar-gentry's cooperation in ruling his county. Consequently, the power of the local scholar-gentry grew. Local men of influence safeguarded local interests. **They organized their own military forces for self-defence (known as local militias, t'uan-lien ) and collected taxes themselves.**


 * B. Social and economic factors **

**ii. Poor economic conditions of the government** - As society was poor, the taxes that the dynasty could collect were limited in amount. Besides, serious corruption in the government ate away a large part of the taxes that had been collected. In society, powerful landlords evaded government taxes, thereby putting most of the tax burden on the peasants. When the oppressed peasants broke into rebellions, the dynasty had to spend more money to deal with the disorder, thus making the financial conditions even worse. From the mid-19th century on, the problem of political decentralization made collection of the whole country's taxes more and more difficult (sometimes impossible). Administrative inefficiency led to **confusing financial management**. To solve its money problem, the poor government **increased taxes** and sold more of its offices -- thus more social suffering, more corruption, and more rebellions.
 * i.** **Population growth and social poverty** - Long years of peace in the early and mid Qing period contributed to a **quick rise in China's population**.


 * C. Ideological factors **

Despite attempts at destroying anti-Manchu attitudes by the Ch'ing rulers, such attitudes were preserved at the lowest level of society (i.e. villages), where central government control was weak. With the outbreak of anti-Ch'ing rebellions since the late 18th century, anti-Manchu feelings that had long been kept underground re-surfaced. **The ideological basis of the Manchu rule was challenged**. ** Consequences **

**A.** **Educational reform** The students sent by the Ch'ing government to study abroad turned out to be either intellectuals dissatisfied with the corrupt Manchu rule or revolutionaries working to overthrow the dynasty.

**B. Political reform** Constitutional practice gave opportunities to the local provincial gentry to establish independent power against the dynasty. The worsening tendency of political decentralization opened the way for the provinces declaring independence from Peking in 1911-12.

Military reform led to the establishment of regional military forces practically independent of Peking's control. In the end, because these military forces did not support the dynasty, the Manchu Emperor was forced to abdicate in 1912. 
 * C. Military reform **
 * Concepts**
 * 

A. End to the monarchical form of government ** For over two thousand years, China had been ruled by the monarchical form of government. Now, in 1911, however, it is determined to **abandon** it.

Such a political break with the past had at least two farreaching effects: i. Negatively, the importance of Confucianism in Chinese society was greatly decreased. As the emperorship political structure had been an inseparable part of Confucianism, the abolition of the monarchy in 1911 **declared Confucianism a useless political belief**. ii. Positively, the creation of a Western-style republic speeded up and extended **Westernization and modernization** in all areas of Chinese city life and culture. The Chinese people were therefore psychologically better prepared to accept new, modern things.
 * B. Decreased Confucianism and increased Westernization and modernization **

China became the first country that **practice republicanism** in Asia.
 * C. Practice of republicanism **

The growth of national consciousness was therefore slowed down. Seen from this angle, the 1911 Revolution worsened the problem of **political decentralization** of the late Ch'ing period.
 * D. Increased provincial decentralization **

Before 1911, Chinese intellectuals could blame the Manchus for all the national and social problems that China suffered. Now that the **Manchus no longer ruled**, the blame began to be directed at foreign imperialism. Modern Chinese nationalism, therefore, gradually changed from anti-Manchuism to anti-imperialism after 1911.
 * E. From anti-Manchuism to anti-imperialism **

**F.** **Loss of Outer Mongolia (Not Inner Mongolia) and Tibet** Territories that traditionally belonged to China were lost, ilke Outer Mongolia and Tibet, which **declared independence** from China after 1911. 
 * Areas of Interaction - Human Ingenuity **

=
**Chinese Revolution 1911** is closely connected to __Human Ingenuity__ because the uprising can be seen as an action to cause changes in a couple of aspects. The Revolutionary alliance was a group of people who were unhappy with the government of the time. They wanted a modern and democratic government rather than a central government in which an emperor is equal to the sky and his commands are the words of the absolute truth. As a result, Qing dynasty was overthrown and became the last empire of Chinese history. In addition, this Revolution led to the first step for China to be a republic where democracy is the very basic political system. Moreover, this can also be seen as an act of Hans, who make up the majority of the population, to gain the power from Manchus who established Qing dynasty. Since Han dynasty, which was the major empire of China a couple of thousands years ago, the Hans and their language, customs and cultures were believed to be the major ones of China. Hans tended to look down at minority races and had prides to be Hans. Therefore, they might be ashamed as they were under Manchurian rule. Finally, as a consequence of the Revolution, as Hans aimed, Qing dynasty collapsed and the authority and pride of Hans were returned. =====


 * Primary Source Assessment **

Wu Xinghan (Chinese: 吳醒漢), Three Day Journal of Wuchang Uprising (Chinese: 武昌起義三日記) Bibliography "Chinese Revolution." __Encyclopædia Britannica__. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 19 Mar. 2009 <[|**http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/112760/Chinese-Revolution**]

"Chinese Revolution of 1911" A Dictionary of World History. Oxford University Press, 2000. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. International School of Tianjin. 18 March 2009 <[]>

Hooker, Richard. "The 1911 Revolution." __Modern China__. 6 June 1999. 20 Mar. 2009 [].

"The Chinese Revolution of 1911." __The Corner of the World__. 20 Mar. 2009 [].

"What causes the Chinese revolution in 1911?" __Yahoo answers__. Mar.-Apr. 2008. 5 Apr. 2009 [].

"What are the causes of the chinese revolution of 1911?" __Wikianswers__. 31 Mar. 2009 [].

"Wuchang Revolution" A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. Jan Palmowski. Oxford University Press, 2008. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. International School of Tianjin. 18 March 2009 <[]>

"Xinhai revolution." __Mahalo__. 31 Mar. 2009 [].

