Sun Yat-sen

The Qing Dynasty, which ruled China from 1644 to 1912, was the last imperial dynasty in the country's history. Its predecessor was the Ming dynasty, which established itself in Chinese lands after the overthrow of the Mongol Yuan Empire. The founders of the Qing were the Manchus, an ethnic group from northeastern China (Manchuria).

In the 16th century, China found itself divided into two parts: the north was controlled by the future Qing dynasty, and the south remained under Ming rule. Since each side sought absolute power over the entire country, conflict became inevitable. As a result of a long and bloody struggle, the Manchu northern Qing dynasty won.

However, by the end of the 19th century, the empire was in decline. China actually turned into a semi-colonial country, where the power of the central government was formal. The state was entangled in enslaving treaties imposed by the Western powers and Japan. The situation worsened after two Opium Wars (1840–1842 and 1856–1860), as well as British and French participation in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion (1850–1868), a peasant war against the Qing dynasty. As a result, China lost some of its territories, and Qing power was significantly weakened.

During this period, Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925) played a historical role. Born on November 12, 1866, into a poor peasant family, he was educated at a missionary school in Honolulu (where his older brother lived) and at a medical school in Hong Kong. Sun began his revolutionary activities in 1894, founding the first Chinese revolutionary organization, the China Revival Union, in Honolulu. In 1905, he created a union of revolutionary forces - the “Union League”, which prepared and carried out a series of armed uprisings in South and Central China.

In 1911, the Xinghai Revolution began, ending the Qing Empire and leading to the creation of the Chinese Republic. Uprisings began in the fall of 1911 in the provinces of Sichuan and Hubei. On February 12, 1912, six-year-old Emperor Pu Yi abdicated the throne. Sun Yat-sen, returning from a long exile, was elected provisional president of China on behalf of the provinces that supported the revolution. However, the post of president was subsequently taken over by General Yuan Shikai, who had previously received the post of prime minister and head of the army. After the death of Yuan Shikai in 1916, the so-called “era of militarists” began in China, when the country was divided between military rulers.

In August 1912, Sun Yat-sen founded the Chinese National People's Party, the Kuomintang. The most important political legacy of the revolutionary was the doctrine of the “three principles of the people”: nationalism, democracy and people's welfare. After the October Revolution in Russia, Sun Yat-sen spoke out for cooperation with Soviet Russia and a close alliance with the Chinese communists.

Sun Yat-sen died in 1925. He rests in a mausoleum located in Nanjing. In 1940, he was posthumously awarded the title of "Father of the Nation" by the Chinese government. There is also a Sun Yat-sen memorial complex in Taiwan. His activities laid the foundation for the modern Chinese state.