User:Yiyao Sun (Sophia)/China during World War I

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=== The apparent weak response of the Chinese government led to a surge in Chinese nationalism. On May 4, 1919, widespread student protests began in China, with a patriotic movement in Beijing that involved mainly young students, the general public, citizens, business people and other classes, through demonstrations, petitions, strikes and violent confrontations with the government, followed by support from students and workers in Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Wuhan and Jinan. This movement was a thorough patriotic movement of the Chinese people against imperialism and feudalism, and came to be known as the May Fourth Movement. The fundamental aim of this movement was to get the government to refuse to sign the Treaty of Versailles. Thus, the Chinese delegation at the conference was the only one not to sign the treaty at the signing ceremony. ===

Process：

When the First World War broke out, China was in the early days of the Republic of China, with domestic chaos and warlords fighting. As a weak country at that time, China was also involved in this war. In 1917, Li Yuanhong, had to stamp his seal on the declaration of war against Germany and joined the camp of the Allied Powers. However, the Beiyang government did not send troops to participate in the war, but sent 140,000 Chinese laborers to participate in the logistics support tasks of the Allies. The main tasks of these Chinese laborers are hard work such as carrying shells, transporting grain and grass, digging trenches, and even the life-threatening work of clearing landmines were done by Chinese laborers. Not only are the working conditions harsh and dangerous, they are regarded as "second-class citizens" by Europeans. "Chinese laborers are also suffering from inhuman abuse.

Aftermath:

For China, World War I was both a "crisis" that plunged it into a heavy disaster and an "opportunity" that ushered in a turnaround in its destiny. The Xinhai Revolution overthrew the feudal imperial system that had ruled China for more than 2,000 years and established a republican system of government, but the humiliating experiences of World War I completely shattered Chinese illusions about the West and "international justice and righteousness". If the Xinhai Revolution was the Chinese saying "no" to their traditional feudal dictatorship, then the May Fourth Movement was the Chinese rejection of the Western path. The Chinese elite began to look for a third way that was different from the traditional feudal system and the Western way, and finally saw the dawn of a new era in the sound of the October Revolution in Russia and gave their vote of confidence to Marxism. The young Chinese Communist Party combined the universal truth of Marxism with the concrete reality of the Chinese revolution and opened up the road to the new democratic revolution. The huge ship of China experienced the most thrilling ramifications and changes since the beginning of the world, and also found the right course for national rejuvenation amidst the turbulence. China at the time of World War I was in a transitional period in which both ideological and political aspects were undergoing changes and collisions. During this period, as the Western powers were busy with wars and had no time to take into account the aggression and expansion of China, China was able to take a temporary respite. During this period, the new ideas of science and democracy fought against the old ideas of feudal superstition, and the dark and oppressive feudal monarchy fought against the hopeful bourgeoisie. At the same time, some advanced revolutionaries are looking for ways and prescriptions to save the country. Marxism, capitalism and other doctrines are intersecting each other, a hundred schools of thought contend, and prosperity is flourishing. Many new cultures and new literatures left during this period, Many new stars have risen in the Chinese literary world. At the same time, the unequal treatment China received after World War I also showed that only socialism can save China.

Background：

World War I began at the time when China entered a new period after the end of feudalism. In April 1912, Yuan Shikai, the Chinese military official gained power and ended the rule of the Qing dynasty. Yuan Shikai became the President of the Republic of China while he still sought to reinforce the central government. German, Japanese, and American opinions on the prospect of neutralizing the leased regions and concessions in China were heard by Yuan on August 3, 1914. . Yuan attempted to hold China’s neutrality in the war, which idea was favored by The German chargé d'affaires in Peking, Baron von Maltzahn. . He notified the German Foreign Office that he would suggest neutralizing the German concessions in Tientsin and Hankow as well as the German-leased area of Tsingtao at the diplomatic corps conference on August 6 in Peking. However, von Maltzahn took care to preserve German prestige in his response to the Chinese government, stating that Germany would only consider Yuan Shikai's proposal more closely if all the interested parties would agree upon a guarantee for the successful execution of the neutralization. Such a consideration was also made by Britain and Japan, while Yuan’s neutralization policy was suspended. The friendship between the United States and China was established, as the hostility between Japan and the United States increased.