Transcript Sun Yat-sen

The Boxer Rebellion caused nationalism in China. Reformers
wanted individual rights, an end to the Qing dynasty, and a
strong, free China.
Sun Yat-sen was the western
educated leader of the
Nationalist movement, or
Guomindang. Sun’s “Three
Principles” rallied the Chinese.
1. Nationalism – no spheres of
influence
2. Democracy – a constitution
with no dynasty
3. Livelihood – land
redistribution
Sun Yat-sen
In 1911 the nationalists overthrew the 2,000 year old monarchy,
and Sun Yat-sen was named president of the new Chinese
Republic.
Chiang Kai-shek took over the
Guomindang after the death of Sun
Yat-sen. Chiang’s corrupt dictatorial
government did not raise the peasants’
standard of living.
Thousands of frustrated peasants and
urban workers joined the Chinese
Communist Party and unsuccessfully
tried to overthrow Chiang.
After their defeat,
Chiang hunted
and slaughtered
communists
throughout China.
Chiang
Kai-shek
Chiang
Kai-shek
Mao Zedong emerged as the leader of
the Communists in the 1930s. Along
with 100,000 of his followers, Mao fled
Chiang’s Guomindang forces in 1934 in
a retreat known as the Long March.
The Long March
covered 6,000
miles, with an
average of 16 miles
per day. Many
communists died
from the cold,
starvation, or the
Guomindang. By
1935 Mao was left
with merely 20,000
survivors, which
was twenty percent
of his original force.
Long March
Long March
In the years that
followed, the
communists, the
Guomindang, and
the Japanese
invaders battled
for control of
China. After
World War II the
civil war resumed.
Finally in 1949 Mao’s forces were victorious, and Chiang’s
Guomindang fled to Taiwan. The People’s Republic of China
(PRC) was proclaimed by Mao, which added one-fourth of the
world’s population to the communist sphere.
Mao’s communists won the civil
war for several reasons:
• Support from peasants who
were promised land
• Support from women who were
promised equality
Mao’s communists won the civil
war for several reasons:
• Guerilla warfare and weapons
from the USSR
• Chiang and the Guomindang
were corrupt