# Republic of China (1912–1949)

| Republic of China中華民國 *Zhonghua Minguo* |
| --- |
| 1912–1949 |
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Top: Flag (1912–1928) Bottom: Flag (1928–now)

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

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| **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 | TW |
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| **Preceded by** | **Succeeded by** |
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|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | Qing dynasty |

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|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| People's Republic of China |  |
| Republic of China |  |
| Mongolian People's Republic |  |

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| Today part of | * Afghanistan
* Bhutan
* China
* India
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Pakistan
* Russia
* Tajikistan
* Taiwan
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| Populations from  |

The **Republic of China** (**ROC**) was a country that existed between 1912 and 1949. It is now the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China or Taiwan. 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 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 (Chiang Kai-Shek) 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. With the support from the USSR. The CPC into armed rebellion, starting the Chinese Civil War.

China experienced industrialization and modernization but suffered conflicts between the Nationalist government in Nanjing, 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 August of 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.