Homework 1; term 3

Explain at least three major long term and short term causes of the Chinese Civil War. Please categorize the causes as economic, political, social, religious, or ideological.




Long Term



Opium Wars: Between 1839 and 1842, the British fought "Opium Wars" against China to force the Chinese to continue buying opium from India (which was ruled by the British.) Then in 1860, an Anglo-French army attacked Bejing (the capital of China) and burned down government buildings. Then, the Japanese attacked China, taking away Korea, Taiwan, and Lushun. I think that this is an economic cause, because it was effecting the economy. Also, I am not sure as to whether it is long term or short term. The reason I said it was long term, is because there were two of them... so the problems obviously existed for awhile. Also, the opium wars led to unequal treaties, which I suppose is long term, because it once again lasted for awhile.

Revolution: The Chinese revolution took place in 1911. It was the revival of national power, and the establishment of a democratic form of government. However, as a result of this, a lot of chaos was created, as well as foreign problems. These problems weren't resolved until 1949. People involved in this revolution were Sun Yatsen, and Yuan Shikaki. I think that this would be an economic and political cause of the Chinese Civil War.



Short Term



Reforms: In 1898, the Emperor Guangxu, tried to strengthen China by modernizing the way the empire was run. The Hundred Days of Reform lasted for three months, where Guangxu introduced new schools and colleges. He improved the government's budget and dismissed corrupt officials from the court. However, his aunt, opposed these changes, and the Empress Cixi had Guangxu imprisoned, forcing him to grant her the power to rule China. This is a political cause.




The Boxer Rebellion: This occurred at the same time as the hundred days of reform. It was when the Yi-Ho Tuan blamed foreigners and Christians for the problems of China. Empress Cixi supported them and encouraged them to attack foreigners. In 1900, the rebellion reached its climax. The boxers killed the captured Europeans and Christians, and as a result, the European governments sent an armed force to Beijing to protect their people. Then, they captured and looted Beijing, forcing Manchus to pay 67 million (in Chinese or European money.) However, the Europeans only made the Chinese people hate them even more, while ultimately showing how weak Manchus was. This is an social and political cause and economical cause.



Sun Yatsen: He found several secret societies, with the aim of overthrowing Manchus. He led a "revive China Society," and he founded the "Sworn Chinese Brotherhood." His aims were to eliminate Manchus, eliminate the monarchy, and open the road to socialism. All of his attempts to overthrow the revolution had failed. This is a political cause.