An Evolution of China

An Evolution of China

China’s government and way of rule has changed numerous times throughout its history.  To list just a few we begin with the imperialist china with the emperor at the zenith of power (from as early as 221 BC up to the Qing Dynasty which ended in about 1911 AD), then it moved into the Republic of China (until 1949), and finally became what it is today: The People’s Republic of China. China’s government has changed drastically in a period of a hundred years or so.

                The imperialistic dynasties persevered for almost two millennia of China’s history. With the emperor at the top issuing decrees; upper level officials in charge of economic, military, and educational affairs; and at the bottom, the local authorities. Placement of these officials depended on how successful they were on the imperial examination. As technologies advanced and western powers rose, however, this style of governing became obsolete. Nearing the end of the Qing dynasty, reformations began to take hold. In 1898, the 100 Days’ Reforms sought to revolutionize education and the military, but due to the influence of Empress Dowager Cixi, the reforms failed [1, pg. 199]. Soon after that the Boxer Uprising arose (early 1900’s), opposing the intrusion of foreign entities. The royal court gave their support to the Boxers, establishing an anti-foreigner international policy [1, pg. 200-2]. Even more reforms followed the uprising (beginning as early as 1901 and some as late as 1911); education was enhanced, middle and elementary schools were established and the imperial examinations ceased to exist. The military was also reformed again; military examinations were abolished and an army ministry was created. There were some reforms that impacted economic activities as well, including the founding of a ministry of commerce. Liang Qichao, who had fled to Japan after the failure of the 100 Days’ Reform, proposed the shift to a constitutional monarchy; this proposition led to the announcement of such a conversion by Empress Cixi in 1908 [1, pg. 203-4]. The year is now 1911, the Qing Dynasty is ending and a Republican China is beginning.

The 10^th of October, 1911, was the beginning of the end for the Qing court. New Army officers began seizing cities and earning the support of the provinces. By December of 1911, all of central and southern china had declared independence from the empire. As a dying breath, the Qing court reached out to Yuan Shikai to come to its aid; Yuan Shikai instead supported the republic, forcing the emperor to abdicate. Beginning in 1912, Yuan Shikai ruled for 4 years (first as a president, then as an emperor,) before his death in 1916. Until 1928, the land was ruled by warlords with minimal, symbolic, rule from the government in Beijing [1, pg. 206]. 1919 saw the upheaval of the May Fourth Movement. This event was an out lash from students in Beijing against the Versailles Peace Conference. There was also the dismissal of three pro-Japanese officials and the resignation of the Cabinet. In addition, China refused to sign the peace treaty put forth. This incident caused a decline of tradition ethics, revolutionized literature into the vernacular, and emancipated women [2, pg. 4]. In 1921, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was founded and the Nationalist party was reorganized. The Nationalists wanted to make China into a modern state and attempted so, but also harassed the CCP. Japan began its encroachment into China in 1931, but nothing was done about it until 1936; it was at this point that the Communists and the Nationalists banded together to repel these invaders. Japan was defeated and expelled in 1945; then the Nationalists vs. the CCP broke out again. These feuds eventually lead into a full on civil war which ended with the Communist victory in 1949 [1, pg. 206-7]. Republican China was finished as the CCP established a strong communist state, The People’s Republic of China (PRC).

                The PRC came about in 1949 with Mao Zedong leading the CCP. Immediately following its establishment up to 1952 was a period of consolidation; to fully establish its control and influence. After the fleeing of the Nationalist officials many posts were vacant; in order to keep the essentials running, the student body was scrutinized [1, pg. 256]. With the Cold War looming, Mao finally decided china could not remain an independent and unaligned power, and set off for a meeting with Stalin in the Soviet Union in December of 1949. In June 1950 a civil war erupted in Korea. North Korean troops were obliterating the South. The United Nations sent in support for the South and the United States sent its Seventh Fleet to guard the Taiwan Straits. By November, the UN’s forces had pushed the Northern forces back up into their own land and were 50 miles within the Yalu River. China was seriously threatened by this and sent their own forces to push the UN’s forces back down to the 38^th parallel. A truce was agreed upon in June, 1953. The threats of war were used to strengthen support for the communist regime. Feudalism was ended by the Agrarian Reform Law of 1950, ripping the ownership of land away from landlords and giving it to the peasants. A Marriage Law was also passed which gave women the ‘freedom to pursue their own love’ [1, pg. 258-9]. In 1955 a mass campaign warning intellectuals to not oppose the First Five-Year Plan (a plan enacted September 1953, which ushered industrialization and collectivization of agriculture). The support of the intellectuals were needed to promote economy and reform the bureaucracy, according to Premier Zhou Enlai [1, pg. 265]. Mao’s regime sought to revolutionize China into a major industrial power, respected amongst the world.

                What began as a feudal-imperialist kingdom has become a major nation; however, not without its hardships and short-fallings. Countless lives were lost over the years to infightings, invasions, world wars, and economic turmoil. The memory of ancient China is a foundation on which the PRC was built, and will continue to flourish on.

Works Cited

[1]        J. A. G. Roberts, A Concise History of China. Cambridge, MA: HU Press, 1999,
pp. 200 - 265.

[2]        Dr. Luo, Literary Revolution. PowerPoint, 2013. Online.
Accessed: https://elearning.uky.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-2687271-dt-content-rid-14522361_2/xid-
14522361_2