Detailed Cue Cards – Chinese Revolution (Vocabulary Flashcards)

Qing Dynasty weakness

Manchu rule faced Han resentment, entrenched corruption, and failure to modernize against foreign powers; legitimacy weakened and unrest grew.

First Opium War (1839–1842)

British effort to open China's market by flooding China with opium; Qing navy defeated; led to unequal Treaty of Nanjing.

Treaty of Nanjing (1842)

Ended the First Opium War; Britain gained Hong Kong, most favoured nation status, and indemnities; set a precedent for unequal treaties.

Second Opium War & Treaty of Tianjin (1858)

Western powers expanded privileges; opium trade legalized; more treaty ports opened and missionaries allowed.

Sino-Japanese War (1894–95)

Rivalry over Korea; Qing defeated; Japan seized Taiwan and Liaodong; Korea recognised as independent; exposed Qing weaknesses.

Three Principles of the People (Sun Yat-sen)

Nationalism, Democracy, and People's Livelihood; ideological foundation for republicanism and the GMD.

Nationalism Principle

One of Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles; aims to unify China and end foreign domination.

Democracy Principle

Constitutional governance and a gradual move toward parliamentary rule.

People's Livelihood Principle

Policies addressing rural poverty, land reform, and welfare to improve living standards.

Xinhai Revolution (1911)

Uprising that ended 2,000 years of imperial rule; Double Tenth uprising; provinces declared independence; republic established.

Yuan Shikai

Military strongman who became provisional president and later attempted to crown himself emperor, undermining republicanism.

Warlord Era

Fragmentation of central authority into regional military regimes after Yuan's death.

May Fourth Movement (1919)

Mass student protests against Japan and warlords; sparked cultural renewal and CCP recruitment.

New Culture Movement

Intellectual shift promoting science, democracy, gender equality; introduced Marxism to Chinese thinkers.

Cai Yuanpei

Beijing University chancellor who promoted academic freedom and recruited progressive scholars.

Li Dazhao

Early CCP founder who fused nationalism with Marxism and advised Mao; connected CCP to Comintern.

Mao Zedong

CCP leader who emphasized peasant based revolution and mass line; rising influence through the Long March.

Jiangxi Soviet

CCP rural base (1931–34) implementing land reform and education; demonstrated CCP governance.

Red Army

CCP military force, later the core of the People's Liberation Army.

Three Rules of Discipline

CCP Red Army code promoting discipline, unity, and respect.

Eight Points for Attention

Additional Red Army discipline guidelines emphasizing conduct in campaigns.

Long March (1934–35)

Strategic retreat from Jiangxi; about 80,000 started, 7–8 thousand survived; covered ~9,000 km; solidified Mao's leadership.

Fifth Encirclement Campaign

GMD tactic to crush CCP; failure forced CCP to switch to guerrilla warfare.

Zunyi Conference (1935)

Mao rises to leadership; shifts CCP strategy away from orthodox tactics toward mobile guerrilla warfare.

Yan’an

CCP base after the Long March; era of mass line governance, land reform, and literacy campaigns.

Yan’an Land Reform

Rural land reform reducing rents and redistributing land; strengthened CCP’s rural base.

Marco Polo Bridge Incident

1937 Japanese provocation that triggered full scale Sino-Japanese War; Beiping and Tianjin fell quickly.

Battle of Shanghai (1937)

Major early combat with heavy GMD losses; drained resources and exposed weaknesses.

Nanjing Massacre (1937)

Japanese seizure of Nanjing; approx 300,000 civilians killed and 20,000+ women raped; symbol of brutality.

Yellow River Flood (1938)

Jiang ordered dike destruction to slow Japanese advance; thousands drowned and millions displaced; damaged GMD credibility.

Second United Front (1937–41)

GMD and CCP temporarily united to resist Japan; patriotic coalition.

CCP Wartime Strategy

Guerrilla warfare, avoidance of major battles