First East Turkestan Republic
In 1912, the Qing Dynasty was replaced by the Republic of China. By 1920, Pan-Turkic Jadidists had become a challenge to Chinese warlord Yang Zengxin who controlled Xinjiang. Uyghurs staged several uprisings against Chinese rule. In 1931, the Kumul Rebellion erupted leading to the establishment of an independent government in Khotan in 1932 which later led to the creation of the First East Turkestan Republic, officially known as the Turkish Islamic Republic of East Turkestan, Uyghurs joined together with Uzbeks, Kazakhs, and Kyrgyz and successfully declared their independence on November 12, 1933. The First East Turkestan Republic was a short-lived attempt at independence around the areas encompassing Kashgar, Yarkent, and Khotan, and it was attacked during the Qumul Rebellion by a Chinese Muslim army under General Ma Zhancang and Ma Fuyuan and fell following the Battle of Kashgar (1934). The Soviets backed Chinese warlord Sheng Shicai's rule over East Turkestan/Xinjiang from 1934-1943. In April 1937, remnants of the First East Turkestan Republic launched an uprising known as the Islamic Rebellion in Xinjiang (1937) and briefly setup an independent government controlling areas from Atush, Kashgar, Yarkent, and even parts of Khotan before it was crushed in October 1937 following Soviet intervention. Sheng Shicai purged over 50,000 to 100,000 people, mostly Uyghurs, following this uprising.