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2. China, 19141945 |
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(See 1914, May 1) |
1914, May 1 |
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Having convened a session of 66 men drawn from his cabinet and other provincial posts, Yuan Shikai (18591916) had the provisional constitution replaced with a constitutional compact, which afforded Yuan nearly complete powers. | 1 |
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July |
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Sun Zhongshan (Sun Yat-sen, 18661925) changed the name of his party, the Guomindang (Nationalist Party), to Gemingdang (Revolutionary Party) in Tokyo; its first manifesto came out in September. In 1919 it reverted to its original name. | 2 |
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Aug. 23 |
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The Japanese declaration of war against Germany was followed by violation of China's neutrality (Sept. 2) and the capture of the German concession area of Qingdao in Shandong province (Nov. 7). | 3 |
By 1914, under the government of Yuan Shikai, the total investment of the foreign powers in China soared to U.S.$1.61 billion. Yuan encouraged the development of a strong judiciary, as China's best hope against the continuation of extraterritoriality, pushed for agricultural development, and tried to crush the opium trade. | 4 |
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