Revolution of Xinhai (China, 1911-1912)

Introduction

The 1911 Revolution marked the beginning of the end of feudalism in China and opened the door to a new historical era characterized by the drive to modernize the country, a process associated not only with development but also with the need to put an end to the sequence of humiliations by foreign powers (UK specially).

What significance is attributed to the Xinhai Revolution in the long process of Chinese modernization?

First :  It was the definitive collapse of the empire, with the subsequent consequences of the inauguration of a republican regime. Imperfect, of course, but nevertheless, a starting point towards a new reality.

Second : in the midst of this process, the democratic leader Sun Yatsen and his Guomindang Party were installed as protagonists. This led to the cooperation of the Guomindang Party with the Communist Party of China, which, through a zigzagging path, marked fundamental stages such as the Anti-Japanese Resistance War.

Bandera de la Dinastía Qing

(previous flag of The Republic of China)

Causes of the revolution 

At the end of the Qianlong reign and at the beginning of the 19th century, disturbing symptoms of a degradation of the state and social balance in China appeared. The Qing Empire had to face numerous problems, both internal and external, from that date onwards. Internally, most of the government's problems "were marked by complacency and corruption at all levels of the bureaucracy." Another pressing problem that was difficult to solve was the remarkable increase in population since the mid-18th century, mainly due to the peace and stability that prevailed in the Chinese Empire, however, the huge population increase began to put unsustainable pressure on the land (they did not produce the necessary amount of food and not fast enough to meet demand). 

The progressive deficit of the Chinese trade balance, opium imports caused in the first decades of the 19th century in the early decades of the 19th century, opium imports caused a sudden imbalance in the foreign trade balance due to the progressive smuggling and importation of opium, the Qing government began to suffer serious financial problems. financial problems.

Flag of oposition made by Sun Yat-sen

Why it was called 'Xinhai'?

The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution (Chinese: 辛亥革命, pinyin: Xīnhài Gémìng) is the name given to the rebellion against the last Chinese imperial dynasty, the Manchu dynasty of the Qing, which led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The monarchy in China had been in place for at least 4000 years before the Revolution replaced it with a republic with democratic ideals.

The revolution began with a first battle on October 10, 1911 and ended with the abdication of Emperor Puyi on February 12, 1912. The revolution is called Xīnhài (辛亥) as that word literally means "forty-eight," which is the name of the year 1911, according to the sexagesimal cycle of the traditional Chinese agricultural calendar.

Today the Xinhai Revolution is commemorated on October 10 or "double 10" (Traditional Chinese: 雙十; Simplified Chinese: 双十; Pinyin: Shuāng Shí) in the Republic of China (Taiwan). In China, Hong Kong and Macau the same day is celebrated as the anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution. In many Chinese neighborhoods around the world the day is celebrated as either "double 10" or as the anniversary of the revolution.

Antecedents / History

Ziqiang Movement

The First Opium War is considered the starting point of China's modern history. At that time some Chinese intellectuals and officials thought that it was not possible to deal with new development challenges without profound changes. The Ziqiang Movement from the 1860s to the 1890s was focused on studying Western science and modes of production in an attempt to strengthen national power through the establishment of industry and trade. In this way the Qing dynasty sought to reform itself. However, defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War made it clear that changes and technological advances were not synonymous with improvements in old feudal China.

One Hundred Day Reform

(1895) Non-government circles with national interests began to clamor for accelerating far-reaching reforms proposed by intellectuals. Some of them, such as those of Kang Yousei and Liang Qichao, advocated imitating the improvements shown by Japan and Russia with respect to improving the political and social work systems under imperial power. The reform, which would end up being called the Hundred Days because of its short duration, won the support of Emperor Guangxu, and began in 1898. One hundred and three days later the reform was aborted when conservatives in the dynasty staged a coup d'état. Although many reformers were exiled, there were still those who wished to have a Constitutional Monarchy similar to that of the United Kingdom, allowing the imperial family to remain in the political system, but orienting political power to democratic government.

Abolition of the Imperial Examination

After the coup of the Boxer Rebellion (义和团起义) and the Eight-Nation Alliance (八国联军), the Qing government led by Empress Dowager Cixi (慈禧太后) began by carrying out the reforms called for by Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao in the Hundred Days Reform. Among the changes, the only one with great influence was the abolition of the Imperial Examination on September 2, 1905. The government began to build new colleges, and by the time the Xinhai Revolution broke out, there were about 60,000. After the abolition, people could no longer get good government jobs just by succeeding in the examination, which drastically changed the political environment.

Constitutionalist campaign

On September 1, 1906, the Qing government announced a constitutionalist campaign. Constitutionalists with high social standing from each province pressured the government to form a cabinet. In May 1911, the prime minister of the newly formed cabinet was announced as Prince Qing. Moreover, 9 of the 13 cabinet members were Manchu, while 7 of them were from the imperial family. All this disappointed the constitutionalists. As a result, the constitutionalists in various provinces changed their minds, supporting the revolution beyond constitutionalism, in a campaign to save the nation.

Anti-Manchu sentiment (inter-ethnic quarrels)

The conflict between the Manchus and the Han had gradually been forgotten by the Qing dynasty, due to the relative peace that prevailed under the Qing government. However, with the decline of the government, the problems between these two ethnic groups reappeared for the first time since the Taiping Rebellion. After 1890, writings that talked about the repulsion of the Manchus began to be in vogue (with good acceptance). Books written in the last years of the Ming Dynasty served as inspiration for many revolutionaries; one of them, Sun Yat-sen focused more on political and economic reforms, while most of the early 20th century revolutionaries were replete with "Manchu-rejectionist" ideas. After the Qing dynasty was overthrown, the slogan of the revolution would change from "Manchu rejection" to "harmony among all races" in an attempt to reunify the country, which was totally fragmented.

Photo of Sun Yat-Sen

The most important revolution in China was the one that took place in 1949 under the leadership of Mao Zedong; it was the result of the long Chinese civil war, initiated in 1927, in which the Kuomintang nationalists, led by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, and the Communists of Mao Zedong's CCP confronted each other, and which ended with the victory of the latter, who established the People's Republic of China. But during this period the Chinese civil war (1945-1949) took place, which was the conflict between the Kuomintang or Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

In case you have a question or feel confused for the amount of information, i attach this presentación with a video included so you can understand it better.

Video de la Revolucion de Xinhai

Revolución China presentation prezi

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