The Political Turmoil of China From 1911 to 1927

The Political Turmoil of China From 1911 to 1927

There were many reasons why China slipped into political instability

or turmoil between 1911 and 19287. There reasons include the

questionable leadership of Yuan Shih Kai, the presence of the

warlords, the

One of the reasons was that questionable leadership of Yuan Shih Kai.

When Yuan took over control from Sun Yat Sen as the President, he

tried to revert to the monarchical system of rule. From 1912 until

1915, he ruled as a military dictator with the support of the army.

His rule was already blemished with resistance and that demonstrated

that the people did not quite accept him as the leader of China. But

when proclaimed himself as the emperor, he lost the support of the

army. He was eventually forced to abdicate. His death did not the help

China either as his death deprived China a prominent leader who could

have unified and strengthened China. Hence, Yuan’s questionable

leadership and death enabled many political factions to jostle for

power in China. This explains why China was in political instability

and turmoil during this time.

Another reason was that China was divided by the presence of the

warlords. When Yuan died, the warlords, who were evenly powerful,

assumed control in their region. China became fragments of territories

ruled by the warlords. Anarchy became prevalent throughout this period

because many of these warlords did not have the capability to unite or

stabilize China. During this period, warlords plundered their

territories and fought amongst each other. Consequently, no particular

warlord was able to unify and stabilize China.

A third reason was continued intervention of the foreign powers. Since

the 19th century, the West had intervened in the affairs of China,

forcing China to open up its ports and trade with them. Their

exploitation caused many people to think lowly of the central

government. Their continued presence after 1911 revolution caused a

lot of resentment amongst the people. This caused the Chinese to stage

protest movements, such as the May Fourth Movement.