Destruction and Development: Warlords and Local Militia, 1916-1927
‘Warlord.’ The term conjures up images of fragmentation, militarization, exploitation and
violence. China certainly saw all too much of this in the years from 1916 through 1927, the
years between the fall of the first republic and the rise of the Nationalist revolution. In the
vacuum left after the implosion of central power in 1916, dozens of military men rose to
control areas as small as counties, or as large as multi-provincial regions of China. They cut
deals with foreign powers, fought one another mercilessly, and grew and sold opium to
finance their wars. All of this took a heavy toll on the people of China, particularly in rural
areas. But were the warlords just about destruction and the maintenance of personal fiefdoms?
--What impact did warlords have on Chinese politics?
--How did political elites/intellectuals respond to warlord violence and atrocities?
--Who were local militia leaders? How did they operate? Were they simply mini-warlords?
--Can warlords be viewed as legitimate, state-building authorities?
Background Reading:
Peter Zarrow, China in War and Revolution Chapter 4: ‘From the military dictators to the
warlords’ Text available as an E-book through the Library
http://www.netlibrary.com/Details.aspx
Sheridan, J. (1975) “The Warlords”, in China in disintegration: the Republican era in
Chinese history, 1912-1949. London: Free Press, Ch.3, pp. 57-106. Available through Online
Course Abstracts at the Library
Main Readings for Discussion:
Edward McCord, ‘Burn, Kill, Rape and Rob: Military Atrocities, Warlordism, and AntiWarlordism in Republican China’ in Lary and MacKinnon, ed. Scars of War: the Impact of
Warfare on Modern China p. 18-49
Edward McCord, ‘Local Bullies and Armed Force Entrepreneurs: Militia Leadership in
Republican Hunan’ in Twentieth Century China, Vol. 34, No. 2 (April 2009)
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/twentiethcentury_china/v034/34.2.mccord.pdf