The Dawn of the Chinese Revolution
The 1911 Revolution was followed by
an upsurge in industrial growth. The period of World War I provided an
opportunity for development of Chinese capitalism. The development of
national industry found expression mainly in the textile and flours mills
in the light industrial sector.
World War I also provided Japan and the United States with the opportunity
to step up their aggression against China. The e-conomic expansion of
Japan in China was a new source of pressure on Chinese capitalism forming
an obstacle to its development. The gradual development of Chinese capitalism
did not change the semi-colonial, semi-feudal nature of Chinese society.
Nevertheless capitalism developed to some extent and the ranks of the
Chinese proletariat were correspondingly strengthened.
The roleplayed by the Chinese proletariat in the political struggle to
oppose imperialism and warlord treachery also became increasingly evident.
Phenomena such as supportive strikes and joint strikes show that by this
stage in the Chinese labor movement, the scattered and spontaneous economic
struggle for better living conditions were giving way to untied and organized
anti-imperialist, anti-feudal political struggles.
The development of the Chinese labor movement at this time shows the Chinese
proletariat in the process of change from a class-in-itself to a class-for-itself,
a precondition for the birth of the Chinese Communist Party.
The new cultural movement to modernize Chinese culture dates from the
foundation of Youth Magazine in Shanghai in 1915. The chief concern of
the new cultural movement was the promotion of democracy and science.
The new cultural movement from 1915 to 1919 had serious shortcomings owing
to the bourgeois outlook of its leaders. On May 4, 1919, an anti-imperialist,
anti-feudal demonstration was held by students in Bei-jing, which grew
into a large-scale nation-wide movement of students, workers and others
known as the May 4th Movement. The May 4th Movement marked the end of
the old democratic revolution led by the bourgeoisie and the beginning
of the newdemo-cratic revolution by the proletariat.