To what extent was Sun Yat-sen
responsible for the 1911 Revolution?
L/O – To evaluate the claim that Sun Yat-sen’s revolutionary
movement was the primary cause of the 1911 Revolution
Dr. Sun Yat-sen
What was the ‘Double Ten’ Revolution?
• On 10th October 1911 there was an uprising
against the Qing government by soldiers in
the city of Wuchang in Hubei province.
• They were led by members of the
Tongmenhui or ‘Chinese United League’, a
revolutionary political party created by Dr.
Sun Yat-sen.
• The protests soon spread to other
provinces, and by December almost 2/3 of
China had declared independence. Sun Yatsen was then declared Provisional
President of the Republic of China on 29th
December 1911.
Q. Why do you
think other
provinces were so
ready to declare
independence?
Why might they
be upset with the
Qing Court?
What was the ‘Double Ten’ Revolution?
• The Qing Court failed to put down the
revolts and was blackmailed by Yuan Shikai
into appointing him as premier in full
charge of the army and navy.
• Yuan could have used his modernised
Beiyang Army to crush the revolutionaries
but instead he negotiated with the rebels.
• Sun Yat-sen had no choice but to appoint
Yuan as President. In return, Yuan agreed
to force Emperor Puyi to abdicate. On 12th
February 1912, the Qing Dynasty and 2,000
years of imperial rule ended.
Yuan Shikai
Emperor Puyi
Sun Yat-sen’s Early Life
• Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925) was born 12th
November in Hsiang-shan, near Canton. He
was one of four children and he studied a
traditional Confucian education up until the
age of 12.
• In 1879, Sun went to Honolulu (Hawaii) to
live with his brother. He graduated from
Oahu College in 1883 aged 17.
• He married in 1885 and returned to Hong
Kong in time to witness China’s defeat in
the Sino-French War of 1884-85, becoming
disgusted by the weakness of the Qing
dynasty.
Radicalisation in Hong Kong
• In 1887 he studied Medicine at the College
for Medicine for Chinese in Hong Kong. He
used the school as a HQ for his growing
revolutionary activities.
• The efficiency of British colonial
administration and orderliness in Hong
Kong impressed Sun, in contrast to his
birthplace. He began to realise that China
needed drastic change.
• He moved to Macao in 1892, then Canton
in 1893 where he made contacts with
members of Secret Societies through his
friend Cheng Shih-liang.
Cheng Shih-liang
Rejecting the Path of Reform
• By 1894, Sun was tempted to join other
reformists and modernisers in China,
writing a series of letters to Li
Hongzhang, offering him his services and
advice.
Li Hongzhang
• He even travelled to Beijing, hoping to
get an interview with Li but was unable
to get an audience.
• This rejection and the decadence of
Beijing strengthened his determination
to overthrow the dynasty.
The Revive China Society
• Sun went back to Hawaii in 1894, creating
the ‘Revive China Society’. He hoped to
recruit other overseas Chinese, secret
societies and Christian converts.
• When the Sino-Japanese War broke out,
he returned to Hong Kong and established
a new HQ in February 1895.
• Members of the group took an oath:
‘expel the Manchus, restore the Chinese
rule, and establish a federal republic’.
First Attempt at Revolution
• In October 1895, Sun organised an
uprising in Canton but it was discovered
and 48 members died. He fled to Hong
Kong but was banned from entering by
the British, therefore he fled to Japan.
• At Yokohama he established a branch of
the Revive China Society, making
connections with Japanese
sympathisers.
• He then went on to London in October
1896, hoping to recruit more overseas
Chinese to his revolutionary cause.
A Lucky Kidnap!
• In London he was kidnapped by the
Chinese Legation and held captive. The
Qing government wanted him returned
to China for execution.
• However the British government found
out and the legation was forced to
release him.
• It was a turning point for Sun. The story
was all over the newspapers and Sun
became an overnight celebrity, raising
his profile amongst overseas Chinese.
The Three Principles of the People
• He remained in England for 9 months,
studying and developing his revolutionary
theories. Here he developed his famous
‘Three Principles of the People’. China
needed:
1. People’s National Consciousness
(Nationalism)
2. People’s Rights (Democracy)
3. People’s Livelihood (Socialism)
• Nationalism was needed to overthrow
the Manchu and Imperialist yoke;
Democracy to ensure rights for the
people; and Socialism to regulate Capital
and equalise land.
Clashes with the Moderate Reformers
• Sun then went to Japan but was dismayed by
the growth of his movement.
• Sun and his ‘Revive China Society’ clashed
with Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao who had
fled to Japan after the failed 1898 ‘100 Days
Reform’. They set-up the ‘Emperor Protection
Society’, a rival to Sun’s movement.
• Kang Youwei represented the movement for
Constitutional change in China. He wanted
China to be a Constitutional Monarchy
however Sun’s supporters wanted to destroy
the Qing dynasty completely and create a
federal republic.
Kang Youwei
Liang Qichao
Second Attempt at Revolution
• Despite the lack of widespread interest in
his movement, Sun took advantage of the
Boxer Rebellion to organise another
uprising in Waichow, north of Hong Kong.
• Again, the plot was discovered and Sun
was forced to flee to Taiwan. Here he
befriended the Japanese governor,
extending his connections further.
• Despite his plots failing, Sun’s popularity
was rising and would soon sky-rocket due
to one major event.
Growing Revolutionary Sentiment
• The Boxer Rebellion (1900-01) completely
discredited the Qing Court in the eyes of its
people. Cixi and the Court was blamed
personally for the disaster.
• Many Chinese realised that only complete
removal of the Qing would ensure reforms.
Young intellectuals like Tsou Jung who
published the widely read ‘Revolutionary
Army’ in 1903, called for revolution.
• Sun now became viewed as a patriotic,
devoted revolutionary. Between 1902-05 he
travelled constantly, growing his membership.
Tsou Jung
The Chinese United League
• Other revolutionary societies sprung up in
China like the ‘Recovery Society’ of Ts’ai
Yuan-p’ei in Shanghai and the ‘China
Revival Society’ of Huang Hsing in
Changsha.
Huang Hsing
• In 1905 Sun returned to Japan and
persuaded other revolutionaries like Huang
Hsing to unite, creating the ‘Chinese
United League’ or Tongmenhui.
• The Tongmenhui accepted Sun’s ‘3
Principles’ as the philosophy of the Party
and a 3-Stage Revolution was planned.
Further Attempts at Revolution
• By 1906, the Tongmenhui had 963
members with branches established all
over China and internationally.
• The Party provided a unified central
organisation and rallying point for all
revolutionary forces in and outside of
China.
• Between 1906-1911, a further nine
uprisings were attempted, all ending in
failure. The April 1911 Canton Uprising
ended with the deaths of 72 members.
Planning the Wuchang Uprising
• After the failed Canton Uprising, the
Tongmenhui re-focused on the central
provinces of Hubei and Hunan.
• In Hubei, they persuaded the ‘Common
Advancement Society’ of returned
students and the ‘Literary Society’ of Qing
army soldiers to join with the Tongmenhui
on 1st June 1911.
• Together they planned an uprising for
October 1911, what would become
known as the successful Wuchang
Uprising.
Debate over Causes of the Revolution
• The successful revolution was finally triggered
by the Wuchang Uprising, led by members of
Sun’s ‘Chinese United League’.
• Sun was seen as the father of the
revolutionary movement and as such, has
been given the credit for the successful
revolution.
• However the actions of the Tongmenhui were
only one cause amongst many for the
Revolution. Any historical analysis of the
Revolution needs to take into account other
contributing, and maybe more significant,
factors.
Long-term Causes of Revolution
• Failure of Qing Leadership – Since mid-19th
century, Chinese history was a record of
national humiliation: Treaty of Nanjing 1842,
Loss of Tributary States in 1880s/1890s, Boxer
Protocol 1901 etc… The inability of the Qing
to defend China led to rising calls for reform.
Inability of the Dynasty to reform itself (1898,
Late Qing) led to calls for revolution.
• Anti-Manchu Tradition – Anti-Qing feeling
had never disappeared completely amongst
Han Chinese who viewed the Qing as
foreigners. The ‘Anti-Qing, Revive Ming’
feeling was kept alive by Secret Societies who
inspired rebellions throughout the 19th
century, including support for Sun Yat-sen.
Long-term Causes of Revolution
• De-centralisation of Power – Since at least
the Taiping Rebellion of 1850/60, the Qing
Court began relying on provincial officials to
uphold the power of the state. This dynamic
drew power away from Peking and would
disrupt Qing attempts to reform the
country.
• Impact of Foreigners – Since 1840s, Foreign
imperialism dominated China and disrupted
the economy, undermining the Qing Court.
Foreign political and religious ideas like
Christianity, revolution, democracy,
independence, human rights, freedom and
equality disrupted Qing society and made
the desire for change inevitable.
Medium-term Causes of Revolution
• Sino-Japanese War 1894-95 – The defeat to
Japan was a real catalyst for change. It
embarrassed the Qing in the eyes of its own
people and led to calls for more dramatic
change, even amongst conservatives.
• Boxer Rebellion 1900-01 – Cixi and Qing
Court blamed entirely for the disaster and
completely discredited the dynasty. Made
many reformers now consider
revolutionaries like Sun. Indemnity put
economic pressure on dynasty and many
Southern & Central provinces had disobey
the Qing Court, furthering the division
between the Court and its provinces.
Medium-term Causes of Revolution
• Resistance to Reform – One of the biggest
problems was the resistance to reform. SelfStrengthening in 1860s-1895, the 1898 ‘100
Days Reform’ and even the ‘Late Qing
Reforms’ all suffered opposition from
elements within the Qing Dynasty.
• Cixi, the Imperial Court, Confucian Gentry,
Scholars, Intellectuals and even the people
failed to see the need for radical reform
until it was too late. The failure to reform
itself meant that radical Chinese reformers
saw no alternative but revolution.
Short-term Causes of Revolution
• Failure of Late Qing Reforms 1901-1911 – The
Late Qing Reforms and Constitutional
Movement of 1905-1911 increased the desire
and anticipation for reform amongst the whole
of society.
• When the reforms turned out to be insincere
and discriminatory to Chinese, even
conservative-minded Chinese scholars turned
against the Qing.
• The creation of Provincial Assemblies in 1909
served as a catalyst for these frustrations,
allowing independent-minded officials to
challenge the Imperial Court without fear.
Trigger-Cause of Revolution
• The Railway Protection Movement – Since
1895, many provinces in China had been
constructing railways as a way to boost
economic growth.
• Provinces had spent huge amounts of
capital and foreign loans in order to benefit
from this boom in transportation.
• In Spring 1911, the Qing government
suddenly tried to ‘nationalise’ the main
railway lines in order to centralise control.
Trigger-Cause of Revolution
• Huge foreign loans were signed by the
government in order to compensate provinces
for this nationalisation. The provinces were
against nationalisation – they had invested
huge amounts and would lose all profits.
Pu Dianjun
• However in June 1911, Guangdong only
received 60% in compensation and Szechwan
received hardly anything. The provinces were
incensed!
• Gentry and merchants in Hubei, Hunan,
Guangdong and Szechwan organised ‘Railway
Protection Clubs’ and mobilised their Provincial
Assemblies to protest to the Court.
Trigger-Cause of Revolution
• In Szechwan, over 10,000
people staged a rally in
Chengdu on 24th August 1911.
“Domestic politics is
useless, and the
government does not care
for the people. To save
• The new governor, Chao Erhthe country there is no
feng, ordered the arrest of
other way but revolution.
protest leaders and 32 died in
We Szechwanese have
the ensuing violence.
already made proper
preparation and would
• Fighting broke out between the co-ordinate with other
government and the people
provinces for joint
with one leader commenting:
action!”
Trigger-Cause of Revolution
• The Imperial Court immediately
ordered part of the Hubei New
Army to Szechwan to put down
this revolt.
• This left the city of Wuchang
vulnerable. Huang Hsing of the
Tongmenhui realised this was the
perfect time for revolution.
• A plan was made for an uprising
in Wuchang at the end of October
but a bomb went off on the 9th,
alerting authorities. The uprising
would finally begin on 10/10/11.
Huang Hsing
Trigger-Cause of Revolution
• In desperation, the court turned to the
creator of the new armies, Yuan Shikai,
and he was appointed chief minister in
November.
• Sun Yat-sen arrived in Shanghai from the
USA on 25th December. He was elected
President of the Chinese Republic in
Nanjing, but Yuan Shikai had real power.
• Sun Yat-sen wrote to Yuan, explaining that
he should be president. Yuan then
persuaded Puyi to abdicate. Yuan Shikai
was the new ruler of China.
Review - The Role of Sun Yat-sen
• Sun Yat-sen was just one amongst many
reformers in the 1895-1911 period who
wanted change in China.
• However Sun was different in that he
formulated a set of revolutionary ideas
and policies that appealed to other
groups, creating a mass vehicle for change
in the Tongmenhui.
• His connections amongst overseas
Chinese, secret societies, Japanese
sympathisers and Christian converts
ensured that the Party was well funded
and supported.
Review - The Role of Sun Yat-sen
• His 3-principles of Nationalism, Democracy
and Socialism appealed to many
revolutionaries and made him the natural
leader of the movement.
• After the Boxer Rebellion and failed Late Qing
Reforms, many intellectuals became
persuaded by the need for revolution and
naturally turned to Sun and the Tongmenhui.
• It is fair to say that the revolutionary
activities of Sun Yat-sen were a sufficient
cause of the revolution but were they
absolutely necessary? Would revolution have
happened without Sun?
Evaluating Causes
• Explaining the causes of the 1911 Revolution is tricky as there
are a number of contributing factors of varying importance
including:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Role of Sun Yat-sen & Tongmenhui
Weaknesses of Qing Government
Role of Foreign Imperialism and Ideas
Boxer Protocol and its Consequencs
Resentment of Late Qing Reforms
Railway Recovery Movement
Other Revolutionary and Reform Groups
Accidential nature of the Revolution
Role of Yuan Shikai
• You are now going to investigate these causes before writing an
explanation of your own for the 1911 Revolution.
Classifying Causes
As historians, we try to organise and arrange causes into a
hierarchy of importance in order to decide which was the
‘ultimate cause’ or reason for an event. We can use different
sorting methods to do this:
1. Content Causes
Social/Cultural/Ideological
Political
Economic
Religious
Military
2. Time Causes
Long-Term
Medium-Term
Short-Term
Immediate-Term
TASK
Using the
Cause Cards,
organise the
causes into a
series of
diagrams,
based on
each of the
methods on
this page.
3. Role Causes
Precondition
Precipitant
Catalyst
Trigger
4. Importance Causes
Necessary (Absolute/Relative)
Sufficient (Absolute/Relative)
Plenary
1. What were Sun Yat-sen’s biggest contributions to the
Revolutionary Movement?
2. Which events were the most significant catalysts for
change in China?
3. Which event led to the biggest growth for the
revolutionary movement?
4. At what point did revolution seem inevitable?
5. What was the ‘trigger’ for the revolution?
6. Could the revolution have happened without Sun Yat-sen?
Did we meet our learning objective?
L/O – To evaluate the claim that Sun Yat-sen’s revolutionary
movement was the primary cause of the 1911 Revolution