Republic of China (1912–1949) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Republic of China

中華民國
Zhonghua Minguo

1912–1949

Top: Flag
(1912–1928)
Bottom: Flag
(1928–1949)

Top: Emblem
(1913–1928)
Bottom: Emblem
(1928–1949)

Anthem:

《五族共和歌》
"Song of Five Races Under One Union"
(1912–1913)

《卿雲歌》
"Song to the Auspicious Cloud"
(1913–1915)

《中華雄立宇宙間》
"China Heroically Stands in the Universe"
(1915–1921)

《卿雲歌》
"Song to the Auspicious Cloud"
(modified version)
(1921–1928)

《中華民國國歌》
"National Anthem of the Republic of China"

(1937–1949)

Flag anthem:
《中華民國國旗歌》
"National Flag Anthem of the Republic of China"
(1937–1949)

Location and maximum extent of the territory claimed by the Republic of China (1945).

Capital

Beijing (1912–1928)
Nanjing (1927–1949)
Chongqing (1937–1946)

Largest city

Shanghai

Official languages

Standard Chinese

Recognised national languages

Tibetan
Chagatai/Uighur
Manchu
Mongolian
and other languages

Official script

Traditional Chinese
Manchu alphabet
Mongolian script
Tibetan alphabet
Uyghur alphabets
Formosan pinyin (from 1945)

Religion

see Religion in China

Government

Federal semi-presidential republic under Beiyang rule (1912–1928)
One-party state under a military dictatorship (1928–1946)
Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic (1946–1949)

President

• 1912

Sun Yat-sen (first, provisional)

• 1949–1950

Li Zongren (last in Chinese mainland, acting)

Premier

• 1912

Tang Shaoyi (first)

• 1949

He Yingqin (last in Chinese mainland)

Legislature

Parliament

• Upper house

National Assembly

• Lower house

Legislative Yuan

History

• Xinhai Revolution

10 October 1911–12 February 1912

• Republic of China proclaimed

1 January 1912

• Beiyang government in Peking

1912–1928

• Northern Expedition

1926–1928

• Nationalist government in Nanking

1927–1949

• Chinese Civil War

1927–1936,
1946–1950

• Second Sino-Japanese War

7 July 1937–2 September 1945

• People's Republic of China proclaimed

1 October 1949

• Government moved to Taipei

7 December 1949

Area

1912

11,077,380 km² (4,277,000 sq mi)

1946

9,676,204 km² (3,736,003 sq mi)

Population

• 1912

432,375,000

• 1920

472,000,000

• 1930

489,000,000

• 1946

535,418,000

• 1949

541,670,000

Currency

Chinese yuan

Time zone

UTC+5:30 to +8:30 (Kunlun to Changpai Standard Times)

Driving side

right

ISO 3166 code

Preceded by

Succeeded by

Qing dynasty

People's Republic of China
Mongolian People's Republic

Today part of

Populations from http://www.populstat.info/Asia/chinac.htm

The Republic of China (ROC) was a country that existed between 1912 and 1949. It is now the People's Republic of China. It was created in January 1912 after the Xinhai Revolution, which overthrew the Qing dynasty. The Republic's first president was Sun Yat-sen. Sun's party, the Kuomintang (KMT) won the parliamentary election in December 1912.

But Sun soon gave the position to Yuan Shikai, the leader of the Beiyang Army. The Beiyang Army also controlled the Beiyang government (which controlled Mongolia).

Between late 1915 and early 1916, Yuan Shikai called himself the Emperor of China. But people did not like it (National protection war).

After Yuan died death in 1916, the Beiyang government was further weakened by a brief restoration of the Qing dynasty. Various groups in the Beiyang Army claimed independence and fought with each other during the Warlord Era.

In 1921, the KMT created a rival government in Canton, supported by the Communist Party of China (CPC).

North China was overtaxed and had too many fighting warlords. So its economy died between 1927 and 1928.

General Jiang Jieshi became the KMT leader after Sun's death. Jiang started the Northern Expedition in 1926 and overthrew the Beiyang government in 1928. In April 1927, Jiang created a nationalist government in Nanjing and massacred Communists in Shanghai. This forced the CPC into armed rebellion, starting the Chinese Civil War.

China experienced industrialization and modernization but suffered conflicts between the Nationalist government in Nanking, the CPC, warlords, and the Empire of Japan.

Eventually the Chinese unified to fight against their common enemy: the Japanese. In 1937 the Imperial Japanese Army invaded China in 1937. The Second Sino-Japanese War began.

In 1945 Japan surrendered at the end of World War II.

In 1946, the Chinese Civil War between the KMT and CPC restarted.

In 1949, the CPC defeated the KMT and started the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Jiang Jieshi and the KMT fled to Taiwan.

Images for kids

Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the Republic of China.
Yuan Shikai (left) and Sun Yat-sen (right) with flags representing the early republic
Major Chinese warlord coalitions during the "Nanjing Decade".
Cooperation with Germany
Chinese Nationalist Army soldiers during the 1938 Yellow River flood
Beiyang Army troops on parade
The NRA during World War II
Boat traffic and development along Suzhou Creek, Shanghai, 1920
A 10 Custom Gold Units bill, 1930

Republic of China (1912–1949) facts for kids

Images for kids

See also