October 1911, The Double 10 Rebellion
- This led to the fall of the Qing government → made China extremely weak due to decentralized power → period of warlords where militias controlled provinces, disregarding Beijing
- Japanese saw this as a key opportunity to take over, especially after WW1 as China was not capable of defending themselves = Issued the 21 Demands in 1915
1918, Paris Peace Conference
- Shandong is given to Japan, which angered many Chinese → leads to the May Fourth Movement Chinese resentment against Japanese increased
- Japanese businesses were affected, Anglo-Japanese Alliance in question (so talks in 1920 gave Shandong back to China)
- Mixed blessing = aroused hostility of wartime allies
May 4 Movement 1919
- Chinese turned away from the West, adopted system from the Soviet Union
- Unified movement against imperialism
- Strengthened national unity 1923 Communist Party and Kuomintang form the United Front to rid warlords
- Influenced by USSR
- 1925, Sun Yat Sen dies and Chiang Kai Shek is put in charge – Jiang is anti-Communist and is caught up fighting ‘disease of the heart’, allowing Japan to reign free in China.
1926 Northern Expedition
- Shanghai, Beijing and Manchuria
- White purge of the Communists in 1927
- Posed a threat to Japanese who controlled South Manchurian Railway ⇒ towards Zhang Zuolin (doubted his loyalty)
- Zhang Zuolin was concerned about growing support offered to CKS and Anti-JP sentiment (Ishiwara Kanji of Guangdong army)
- Japanese assassinated him, no one fought back
- Japan had no excuse to “protect interests” or “casus belli” (situation for a war)
- But..
- Soviet Union rapidly industrializing = troublesome neighbour
- China would not have the military capacity to prevent takeover
- = invasion of Manchuria in 1931 (September)
IB Wisdom 