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Home , 1911 Revolution, East China, Kuomintang, Mao Zedong, Qing dynasty, Revive China Society

DOCUMENTS

Timeline: since 1898 Compiled by Erin Biel

1898: -hsu (1871-1908) of the 1921: Chinese is formed in Qing initiates Hundred Days Reform as an outgrowth of May Fourth Move- program as reformist movements spread amid ment; Zedong (1893-1976) becomes secretary foreign interference in China; of Communist Party branch in native . Tzu-hsi (1835-1908) has Kuang-hsu arrested and rules until her death. 1924: first national congress seeks co- operation with Communists and for 1900: Anti-foreigner uprising (“Boxer Rebel- unification of China. lion”) sweeps China, prompting reprisals and expedition by the Eight-Nation Alliance (, 1925: China experiences outbreaks of anti-foreign Russia, Britain, France, , Germany, strikes and political unrest; Chiang Kai-shek (1887- Austria-Hungary and Italy) to protect foreign in- 1975), chief of staff of National terests; Yat-sen (1866-1925) becomes leader , succeeds Sun Yat-sen as Kuomintang leader. of the Revive China and, in 1905, of the United League. 1926: Chiang Kai-shek launches Northern Expe- dition against and unifies wide parts of 1911: Uprisings with support of rebels be- China. gin in Wuchang and spread widely, culminating in the 1911 . 1927: Chiang Kai-shek crushes Communists and consolidates control; Communists form 1912: Last Qing , Pu Yi (1906- Army (later called the People’s Liberation Army). 67), abdicates, ending over two thousand years of imperial rule; nationalists proclaim Republic of 1928: Chiang Kai-shek establishes Nationalist China in ; Sun Yat-sen becomes president, in Nanjing. and establishes the Kuomintang nationalist party; Sun is pushed out and replaced by military leader 1929-30: Great in northern China kills Shikai (1859-1916) as president in . 5-10 million.

1915: Japan imposes Twenty-One Demands on 1930: Nationalists launch Extermination Cam- . paigns against Communists.

1916: Revolt of the Generals halts Yuan Shikai’s at- 1931: establishes Chinese Soviet Re- tempt to re-establish imperial rule. public in .

1917: China declares on Germany, entering 1934: Fifth Extermination Campaign drives Com- ; Sun Yat-sen establishes rival gov- munists from southern China; Communist army ernment in , ; Bolshevik undertakes the to Yenan with Mao Revolution occurs in Russia, inspires Chinese Zedong emerging as Communist leader. . 1937: Japan invades China, capturing Beijing, 1919: student oc- Shanghai and Nanjing; Nationalists and Commu- cur in of the Versailles Conference nists form temporary ; Mao Zedong’s decision to grant German concessions in party leadership confirmed; Soviet Union aids to Japan rather than restoring Chinese sovereignty. Chinese resistance.

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1941-1945: China joins World War II alliance 1960: Ideological and strategic tensions escalate with United States and Britain against Japan; between China and Soviet Union. Chiang Kai-shek attends Cairo Conference with U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Brit- 1962: Clashes over disputed Himalayan border ish Prime Minister Winston Churchill; war leaves occur between China and ; China increases Nationalists beleaguered while Communists make military aid to North . significant gains in membership and influence. 1964: China detonates a nuclear device, signaling 1945: Mao Zedong elected chairman of the Com- China’s rise as a global power. munist Party and its Politburo; China signs United Nations Charter. 1966: Mao Zedong launches Great Proletarian Cul- tural Revolution aimed at reviving revolutionary 1946: Nationalists and Communists fail to agree spirit and cleansing party of ideological enemies; on coalition rule and resumes; Commu- (1904-97), a pragmatic economic nists declare “war of liberation.” reformer, is stripped of party leadership positions.

1949: Communists defeat Nationalists and Mao 1966: United States increases military forces in Zedong proclaims the establishment of the Peo- Vietnam to 500,000 after U.S. President Lyndon ple’s Republic of China on October 1 in Beijing; Johnson cites need to stop Chinese Communist Mao declares intention of creating socialist soci- aggression in . ety and promoting world ; Chiang Kai-shek and Nationalists flee to island of 1967: China experiences widespread violence and declaring continuity of Republic of China; United economic disruption amid the . States supports Taiwan government and pledges to work towards Mao Zedong’s downfall. 1968: China detonates a hydrogen device.

1950: China enters , supporting 1969: Chinese and Soviet forces engage in border Communist invasion of south; a U.S.-led United clashes. Nations force repulses invaders; Chinese troops occupy ; China signs of Friendship 1970: China withdraws war support personnel with Soviet Union. from after Hanoi refuses to cut re- lations with the Soviet Union. 1953: China launches first Five-Year Plan, in- tended to spur economic growth using the Soviet 1971: United Nations recognizes People’s Re- model of centralized planning, public of China, which becomes one of the five and collective farms. permanent members of the Security Council; Tai- wan is expelled from the UN. 1954: United States signs Mutual Defense Treaty with Taiwan. 1972: U.S. President Richard M. Nixon makes his- toric eight-day visit to China, paving the way for 1956: Mao Zedong launches Hundred Flowers Cam- official U.S. recognition of the People’s Republic paign to encourage criticism of Communist policies. of China.

1958: China begins program 1974: Ailing longtime Premier (1898- aimed at rapid industrialization; economic disrup- 1976) designates Deng Xiaoping as successor; tion triggers widespread famine, killing as many as Deng returns to politics as first vice premier. 30 million. 1976: Zhou Enlai dies; , a militant party 1959: Chinese forces crush uprising in Tibet; the faction that includes Mao Zedong’s wife , flees to India. targets Deng Xiaoping as counterrevolutionary;

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Mao Zedong dies; (1921-2008) takes 1994: All of China are opened for foreign over as chairman (position renamed general secre- direct investment. tary in 1982). 1996: China mounts war games in Taiwan Strait 1978: Deng Xiaopeng (1904-97) becomes de facto on eve of presidential ; United leader; launches and market States sends two carrier battle groups into the Strait. reforms. 1997: Britain returns Kong to Chinese rule. 1979: United States and People’s Republic of Chi- na establish diplomatic relations; United States 1999: U.S. forces bomb Chinese embassy in Bel- commits to military and other support for Taiwan; grade during NATO raid on Serbia during Balkans China launches punitive invasion of Vietnam fol- conflict, triggering diplomatic tensions and anti- lowing Vietnam’s incursion into . American protests in China; Portugal returns Macao to Chinese sovereignty. 1980: Yaobang (1915-89) becomes general sec- retary; China establishes special economic zones 2001: China enters World Trade Organization. to attract foreign direct investment as part of free market reforms; China becomes a member of the 2002: (1942-) becomes general secretary. International Monetary Fund and World Bank. 2003: China launches its first manned space flight, 1981: Members of Gang of Four are tried and given . long sentences for usurping power and persecuting thousands; Communist Party denounces Cultural 2006 , the world’s largest hy- Revolution. dropower project, is completed.

1984: China designates fourteen coastal cities open 2007: China carries out a missile in space. for foreign direct investment and trade. 2008: Beijing hosts Summer Olympic Games. 1987: (1919-2005) becomes general secretary. 2009: Leaders of China and Taiwan exchange mes- sages for the first time in six decades. 1988 Regulations are enacted for establishment of private businesses and corporations. 2010: China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) create a area; China 1989: Government violently suppresses democ- surpasses Japan as the world’s second largest econ- racy movement in Square in Beijing; omy after the United States; Chinese literary critic Zhao Ziyang is dismissed and replaced as general and activist is awarded secretary by (1926-); the Dalai Lama the Nobel Peace Prize for his “long and non-violent is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for “for his struggle for fundamental human rights.” consistent resistance to the use of violence in his people’s struggle to regain their .” 2012: (1953-) becomes general secretary; China opens world’s longest high-speed rail route 1990: Shanghai and stock markets open. linking Beijing and Guangzhou; influential Chongq- ing party chief is expelled from party amid 1992: Deng Xiaoping calls for more rapid eco- murder and corruption scandal; China experiences nomic growth and reform during visit to southern increased diplomatic tensions with the Philippines China; Communist Party endorses “socialist mar- and Vietnam over rights in the Sea. ket economy,” calling market economy compatible with ; China accedes to the Nuclear Non- 2013: Diplomatic tensions escalate between China Proliferation Treaty. and Japan over disputed islands in the Sea.

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