Republic of China (1912–1949)

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.

## Infobox (former country)

- **conventional long name**: Republic of China
- **native name**:
__
- **common name**: China
- **p1**: Qing dynasty
- **flag p1**: Flag of China (1889–1912).svg
- **s1**: History of the People's Republic of China (1949–1976)People's Republic of China
- **flag s1**: Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
- **flag s2**: Flag of the Republic of China.svg
- **s3**: Mongolian People's Republic
- **s2**: Republic of China
- **flag s3**: Flag of the People's Republic of Mongolia (1945-1992).svg
- **image flag**: Flag of the Republic of China 1912-1928.svg
- **flag type**: Five Races Under One Union, Top: Flag
(1912–1928)
Flag of the Republic of China, Bottom: Flag
(1928–now)
- **image flag2**: Flag of the Republic of China.svg
- **image coat**: Emblems of the Republic of China.svg
- **symbol type**: Twelve Symbols national emblem, Top: Emblem
(1913–1928)
Blue Sky with a White Sun, Bottom: Emblem
(1928–1949)
- **coa size**: 120px
- **national anthem**: (1937–1949)

- **flag anthem**:

"National Flag Anthem of the Republic of China"
(1937–1949)

- **image map**: Republic of China (orthographic projection, historical).svg
- **image map caption**: 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
- **government type**: Federal republic, Federal Semi-presidential system, semi-presidential republic under Beiyang government, Beiyang rule (1912–1928)
One-party state under a military dictatorship (1928–1946)
 Unitary state, Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic (1946–1949)
- **official languages**: Standard Chinese
- **national languages**: Standard Tibetan, Tibetan
Uyghur language, Chagatai/Uighur
Manchu language, Manchu
Mongolian language, Mongolian
and languages of China, other languages
- **languages type**: Official script
- **languages**: * Traditional Chinese
* Manchu alphabet
* Mongolian script
* Tibetan alphabet
* Uyghur alphabets
* Formosan languages, Formosan pinyin (from 1945)
- **religion**: _see Religion in China_
- **title leader**: List of Presidents of the Republic of China, President
- **leader1**: Sun Yat-sen (first, provisional)
- **year leader1**: 1912
- **leader2**: Li Zongren (last in Chinese mainland, acting)
- **year leader2**: 1949–1950
- **title deputy**: List of premiers of the Republic of China, Premier
- **deputy1**: Tang Shaoyi (first)
- **year deputy1**: 1912
- **deputy2**: He Yingqin (last in Chinese mainland)
- **year deputy2**: 1949
- **legislature**: Parliament
- **house1**: National Assembly (Republic of China), National Assembly
- **house2**: Legislative Yuan
- **event pre**: Xinhai Revolution
- **date pre**: 10 October 1911–12 February 1912
- **event start**: Provisional Government of the Republic of China (1912),  Republic of China proclaimed
- **date start**: 1 January
- **year start**: 1912
- **event1**: Beiyang government in Peking
- **date event1**: 1912–1928
- **event2**: Northern Expedition
- **date event2**: 1926–1928
- **event3**: Nationalist government in Nanking
- **date event3**: 1927–1949
- **event4**: Chinese Civil War
- **date event4**: 1927–1936,
1946–1950
- **event5**: Second Sino-Japanese War
- **date event5**: 7 July 1937–2 September 1945
- **event6**: People's Republic of China proclaimed
- **date event6**: 1 October 1949
- **event end**: Government of the Republic of China, Government Republic of China retreat to Taiwan, moved to Taipei
- **date end**: 7 December
- **year end**: 1949
- **stat year1**: 1912
- **stat area1**: 11077380
- **stat pop1**: 432,375,000
- **stat year2**: 1920
- **stat pop2**: 472,000,000
- **stat year3**: 1930
- **stat pop3**: 489,000,000
- **stat year4**: 1946
- **stat area4**: 9676204
- **stat pop4**: 535,418,000
- **stat year5**: 1949
- **stat pop5**: 541,670,000
- **drives on**: right
- **utc offset**: +5:30 to +8:30
- **time zone**: Historical time zones of China, Kunlun to Changpai Standard Times
- **iso3166code**: TW
- **footnotes**: Populations from http://www.populstat.info/Asia/chinac.htm