May Fourth Movement Significance
The unofficial holiday on May 4th created by star wars fans in the West is not the only thing that gives importance to the date May 4th in world history. May 4th has enormous significance for China as it heralded the "new culture" movement in the country, which started in 1916 and reached its peak in 1919. The May fourth revolution was a reformist and intellectual movement that was initiated by the Chinese students as a reaction to China's treatment at the hands of Western powers.
After the movement to establish a republican government in 1911 failed, it did not stop but continued through the 1920s. The May fourth movement effects can be compared to the political revolutions of the century. This movement also brought forth the contempt that Chinese intellectuals felt towards traditional Chinese culture. They blamed these traditional cultures for the downfall of China at a subordinate international position. The intellectuals maintained that it was these cultural values prevalent in China that prevented it from matching the various developments (industrial, military, etc.) happening in the West (including Japan).
In this article, we will know what the May fourth incident was that led to the movement and its implications and significance for modern Chinese history.
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May Fourth Movement Summary
The May 4th movement of 1919, is also termed as "Wusi" in China. On this day, thousands of Chinese students (more than 3000) from all around Beijing gathered in front of the Tiananmen and rallied to protest against the terms of the peace treaty being negotiated in Versailles (France) that would officially end World War I. Let’s check out the brief May fourth movement summary.
China entered World War I from the Allies' side and sent more than 140,000 soldiers to France. China had put forward the condition that as a reward for this contribution, all the German holdings (specifically the Shandong peninsula) in China would be returned to the country.
Rather than being awarded at the Paris conference, the council of four (leaders from France, the United States, Italy, and Britain) transferred the German holdings to Japan.
This led to an uproar in China, with protests against this deal which targeted the Chinese autocratic leaders. Due to this pressure, the Chinese delegation refused to sign the Versailles treaty. China was the only nation at Versailles that did not sign the treaty.
In these demonstrations, students demanded the resignation of three Chinese officials who were part of these proceedings. They were Zhang Zongxiang, Cao Rulin, and Lu Zongyu.
The student protesters burnt the residence of one of the despised officials amongst these three. The students were then badly assaulted and arrested.
The protest gained support across the nation, especially in Shanghai. Business people and workers also joined the students' cause by going on strike.
In the end, the government had to release the students and dismiss the three officials.
Though the Shandong peninsula was finally handed over to the Japanese, the May fourth revolution showcased the success of collective action. It also built anti-imperialist emotions.
The May fourth movement effects are also said to have brought an intellectual fervour to the country where many of the future founders of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) came together.
The entire may fourth movement summary has covered all the important pointers and happenings of this movement.
The Ideological Origins of May 4th Movement
The reformist movements and ideas were not new to late imperial China. Many believed that China's problems would end if it adopted Western notions of democracy and equality and did away with the confusion approach. The confusion approach was based on hierarchy in relationships and obedience. Even before May 4th, the younger generation of Chinese intellectuals had started showing their frustration with the newly formed Chinese government(after the fall of the Chinese monarchy).
The new culture movement had started in the 1910s, which strived to move China away from its feudal roots towards international standards that favoured technology, science, individual freedom, and women's rights.
Some of the Pioneers of this Movement were:
Kang Youwei - He was a significant reformist who was the principal architect behind "Hundred Days of Reforms" in 1898. Hundred Days of Reforms was aimed at modernising Chinese society, government, and economy. The reform was launched by the Guangxu Emperor, and his views were shaped majorly by the young writer Kang Youwei.
Chen Duxiu - He was the dean of Peking University in 1916 and also the editor of the "New Youth" magazine. In his essay "Our Final Awakening," written in 1916, Chen talks about how China's national unity was weak and also mentioned that it would not be easy to build a democratic and constitutional government in China. Chen was one of the leaders of the new culture movement.
Did You Know?
The May Fourth Movement began in the afternoon on the 4th of May 1919, with thousands of Chinese students from colleges and universities gathering in the central part of Beijing in front of Tiananmen.
The protesters had posters that had slogans like "Return Qingdao!", "Punish the Traitors!", "Protect China's Sovereignty!"
After assembling, the students tried to march towards Beijing's Legation quarter for petitioning its foreign embassies.
Their route to the Legation quarter was blocked by police, so the crowd headed for Cao Rulin's home in Zhao Jia Lou Hutton. Cao Rulin was the minister of transport at that time and was viewed as a member of a pro-Japanese group.
Cao managed to hide from students, but their wrath fell on Zhang Zongxiang, who was the Chinese envoy to Japan and visiting Cao that day.
The protesters beat up Zhang Zongxiang and called him a traitor. They also burnt down Cao's house.
The Beijing police then intervened to stop the protest and arrest 32 protesters. But this did not stop the Beijing students, and they called for a large-scale strike which shook the entire nation.
Hopefully, this article was able to highlight the primary May fourth movement significance along with other vital information.
FAQs on The Epochal Movement in China: The May Fourth Movement
1. What is the importance of the Shandong peninsula to China?
Since the beginning of Chinese civilization, Shandong has been an integral part of Chinese history. It was the centre for religious and cultural activities for Chinese, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Mountain Tai in Shandong is one of the most revered mountains in Taoism. Shandong also played a key role in establishing a rice-based grouping of cultures that spread from Shandong to Taiwan and Guangdong province. Shandong was the birthplace of Mencius and Confucius (in the Lu state). Shandong was also an important economic centre for exporting hemp clothing, fish, silk, salt, etc., to all parts of China.
2. When was CCP formed?
CCP, or the Chinese Communist Party, was formed in 1921 by the intellectuals (political activists and writers like Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, etc.) who had earlier participated in the May fourth movement. These men were influenced by the writings of Karl Marx and the Bolshevik revolutionaries of Russia. They sought to give a new path to Chinese political development. CCP was quite small and insignificant in its initial years when only a dozen people attended CCP's first congress in 1921. By 1925 the party still had only 1000 people in it. The ideology and tactics of the CCP were earlier governed by the Communist International in Moscow. From 1922 to 1923, CCP was directed by the Comintern in Moscow to join Guomindang in his mission to unify China. This alliance was called the First United Front, which allowed the CCP to gain military experience and helped in its development and recruitment.
3. What does Confucianism refer to?
Confucius was a renowned Chinese philosopher born in 551 BC, and Confucianism refers to the philosophy which is based on his teachings. This belief system gives importance to personal ethics and morality. Confucianism says that if a person has high morals and good character, it can affect the world around them and bring about cosmic harmony. Some of the virtuous behaviour as advocated by this philosophy are altruism, respect, humility, etc.
