ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the establishment of the Republic of China and its history through the Nationalist Party’s Northern Expedition of 1927. It begins with an overview of the Qing dynasty’s last decade of existence, the early career and ideas of Sun Yatsen, the founding of the Guomindang (Nationalist Party), and the 1911 Revolution. It then covers the presidency of Yuan Shikai, the warlord era, China’s role in and problems during World War I, and May Fourth era. The chapter then turns to the founding and early history of the Chinese Communist Party, the establishment of the First United Front between the two rival parties, and the tensions between the CCP and the Nationalist Party under Chiang Kai-shek that culminated in the White Terror of 1927, when Chiang nearly succeeded in destroying the CCP.
