User:Duonaut/sandbox

The time period of the Republic of China between the retreat of the Kuomintang to the island of Taiwan and the repeal of martial law in 1991 was characterized by rule under an authoritarian one-party state as shaped by Chiang Kai-shek. The era began after, in the wake of World War II, the Chinese Civil War restarted and Mao Zedong's communist forces drove nationalist forces out of the mainland, whence they retreated to controlling Taiwan and a few other islands, including, until 1950, Hainan. Despite their retreat, they continued to claim sovereignty over the mainland and maintained their previous territorial claims; they continued to enjoy some international recognition as the legitimate government of China, maintaining their seat in the United Nations until 1971. Chiang's government, however, was unpopular among ethnic Chinese who had migrated prior to the retreat (and their descendants), especially in the wake of the February 28 incident, wherein the Kuomintang government violently ended unrest among said citizens due to pro-mainland economic policies, leading to ethnic tensions. Eventually, the prospect of retaking the mainland became unlikely, and focus shifted to improving conditions in Taiwan, allowing for economic development in particular. In 1975, Chiang Kai-shek died. He was succeeded, by 1978, by his son, Chiang Ching-kuo. Under the younger Chiang's administration the government gradually reformed and allowed the once-suppressed Tangwai movement to emerge, leading to the end of the authoritarian era by the early 1990s.

Republic on the Mainland (1912-49)
In 1911, the Qing dynasty, an empire which had been in a long decline, came under assault by an army of revolutionary republican forces under the leadership of Sun Yat-sen, who established the Republic of China. Yuan Shikai, a prominent general of the Qing, proved to be an indespensible ally of the revolutionaries. After Sun was elected president of the provisional Republic, Yuan threatened to cut support as he desired the presidency for himself. However, Sun offered him the post of the presidency, explaining that he was merely the provisional president, and outlining a transfer of power between the two; this secured Yuan's support and he convinced the officials of the Qing to sign off on the emperor's abdication on February 12, 1912, with Yuan assuming the presidency on April 1.

Beiyang government and Yuan Shikai's empire
The government established by Yuan became known as the "Beiyang government", due to the influence of Yuan's Beiyang army in politics. Yuan soon became troublesome for the revolutionaries; while they were attempting to move toward a rule of law and a republic, Yuan filled the cabinet with his loyalists and rendered it ineffective. Though he encouraged revolutionary leaders to meet with him, it became apparent he hungered for power: the leader of the newly formed Kuomintang, Song Jiaoren, was killed under mysterious circumstances that implicated Yuan—but the assassin died in prison before anything could come of it. This triggered a Second Revolution which was quickly suppressed; Yuan thereafter staged an election in which he won by intimidation, and soon "reluctantly" became the Emperor of the new Empire of China. However, this empire's power collapsed quite quickly and Yuan disbanded it on March 22, 1916, dying shortly afterwards on June 6; the country then descended into warlordism. The following era was characterized by disparate local leaders who commanded provincial armies and had conflicting goals (though many of them sought to enrich themselves); the national army, and by extension the central government in Beijing's actual power, had collapsed. On July 1, 1917, Zhang Xun, one of Yuan's former subordinates in the Beiyang army led an attempt to restore the Qing empire, putting its deposed emperor Puyi back on the throne. This restored monarchy failed to amass power and lasted less than two weeks before being put down by pro-Republic generals.

The May Fourth Movement
In 1917, amidst this chaotic atmosphere, a group of intellectuals emerged who had been influenced by Western ideals and saw the continued reverence toward Confucianism as holding the country behind; these scholars came to be part of the New Culture Movement, promoting science and democracy and calling for a change in Chinese culture. This movement would reach a crucial moment on May 4, 1919. Protestors came to Tiananmen Square on that day in protest of the Treaty of Versailles, which handed over certain Chinese territories to Japan, despite China's involvement with the allies. Likewise, they protested old cultural norms and the warlords who controlled the country at the time. The development of Chinese industry during World War I is thought to have contributed to the rise of this movement—China was let alone by imperial powers which had once dominated trade, and since they were no longer occupied with war they could return to China and negatively effect a new class of tradesmen, who were nationalistic and liberal. The name of the incident—the May Fourth Movement—became synonymous with this new generation, which had great influence on the culture of China and inspired the rise of the Chinese Communist Party and Mao Zedong.

The Northern Expedition and the Nationalist government
Yuan's assassination of Song Jiaoren caused Sun to break their uneasy alliance. Sun supported the Second Revolution, and, after its failure, fled to Japan. There Sun attempted to establish a more centralized party and secure support from the Japanese, largely failing at the first end. To the second, he initially faced difficulty but eventually secured support: the Japanese refused to recognize Yuan's monarchy and Fusanosuke Kuhara financed his army on the premise that Sun would help his enterprises in China, among other conditions.