Totalitarianism PT 4

New Forces in China &

Japan

1. Nationalist Overthrow Qing
Dynasty

• Nationalist overthrow the Qing Dynasty

(ruled since 1644) & establish Republic of
China in 1912.

• Sun Yixian first president but fails to secure

national unity.

• China is divided amongst strong warlords.
• Chinese enter WWI (1917) in hopes of

regaining territory.

Map of China in 1900 before the overthrow of the
Qing Dynasty.

First President of
China- Sun Yixain,
also known as Sun
Yat-sen. He failed
to gain national
unity which would
eventually lead to
the Chinese Civil
War.

Open Ended

Do you think the Chinese people had the right to overthrow the Qing Dynasty? Why or why not? 

2. May Fourth Movement

• Under Treaty of Versailles, the allies give

Japan territories previously held by
Germany.

• Triggers nationwide protest in China May 4,

1919.

• Workers, manufacturers, shop keepers and

professionals join protest.

• Mao Zedong most notable revolutionary.

Chinese student uprising in Beijing that spread across the
rest of China. It focused on wanting to learn from Western
countries so that it could end foreign domination.

3. Communist Party in China

• Western democracies refusal to aid Sun

Yixian prompts him to seek Soviet Union’s
support.

• Kuomintang (Nationalist) leader Jiang

Jieshi turns against the Chinese Communist
& becomes President of the Nationalist
Republic of China in 1928.

• Peasants throw their support to Chinese

Communist led by Mao Zedong.

Open Ended

After looking at the Nationalist v. Communist slide, why do you think communism may appeal to some people in China? 

4. Civil War Rages in China

• 1933 Jiang’s army surrounds the

Communist stronghold outnumbering them
6 to 1, forcing them to flee.

• 1934 Communist forces make a 6,000

mile-long journey called the Long March.

• Japan’s invasion of Manchuria (1931) &

China (1937) forces both Nationalist &
Communist to fight the Japanese.

5. Post-WWI Japan

• Japan wants to become a world power but

lacks the resources for its industry.

• Economy booms during WWI because of

trade with allies, Japan has industrialized.

• Close ties with Western nations (G.B.,

France and United States) forces Japan to
not become an Imperial power.

6. Japan’s Imperial Move

• Stock market crash in 1929 impacts

industry. Racial policies from Western
nations anger Japanese.

• Extreme nationalist argue for a Japanese

Empire.

• The Manchurian incident (1931)- Japanese

military blows up its own railroad in China
and blame the Chinese. Japanese seize
Manchuria and make it a puppet state.

Open Ended

As European countries were Imperial powers,  do you think that Japan had a right to become an Imperial power? Why or why not? 

7. Militarist Gain Power

• Although the leader was Emperor Hirohito,

by 1937 the government had accepted that
military held massive power.

• Invade China in 1937.
• Join Axis alliance with Germany & Italy in

1940.

The combatants of World War Two.