Malcolm Rivera
The history of China's government is a complex one, with the country undergoing several transformations in the 20th century. The first Republic of China was established on 1 January 1912, in Nanjing, with Sun Yat-sen as the provisional president. This republic had a constitution stating the Three Principles of the People, which outlined a democratic republic governed by and for the people. However, Yuan Shikai, who became the second provisional president, revised the constitution and ruled by military power, even declaring himself Emperor in 1915. After his death, the country was plagued by warlordism, and the republic's power was limited. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rose to prominence during this time, and after World War II, they gained support due to their success in land reform and their efforts against Japanese invaders. The CCP proclaimed the People's Republic of China, and their first constitution was adopted in 1954, with the current constitution being declared in 1982.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of establishment of the Republic of China | 1912 |
| Date of declaration of the Republic of China | 1 January 1912 |
| First Provisional President of the Republic of China | Sun Yat-sen |
| Second Provisional President of the Republic of China | Yuan Shikai |
| First formal President of the Republic of China | Yuan |
| Year of the first Constitution of the Republic of China | 1947 |
| Year of the first Constitution of the People's Republic of China | 1954 |
| Current Constitution of the People's Republic of China | 1982 |
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What You'll Learn
The Republic of China was established in 1912
On 1 January 1912, Sun Yat-sen declared the establishment of the Republic of China and was inaugurated as the first Provisional President in Nanjing. The first Republic of China national government was established with a constitution stating the Three Principles of the People, which outlined that the ROC was to be a democratic republic governed by and for the people.
Sun Yat-sen's power was limited, and Beijing was already under the control of Yuan Shikai, who commanded the Beiyang Army, the most powerful military force in China at the time. To prevent civil war and foreign intervention, Sun agreed to Yuan's demand for China to be united under a Beijing government led by him. Yuan was sworn in as the second Provisional President of the ROC on 10 March of the same year.
Yuan ignored the republican institutions established by his predecessor, Sun Yat-sen, and revised the constitution to act more dictatorially. He banned secret organisations and disbanded the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party, of which the majority of parliament members were a part. This meant that parliament could no longer convene as it did not meet the quorum. Yuan's imperial ambitions ultimately ended with his death, and the return of a republican government.
The ROC maintained diplomatic relations with 59 countries before the Nationalist government was ousted from the mainland. The ROC Armed Forces retreated to Taiwan in 1949 after their defeat in the Chinese Civil War, where they maintained most of their diplomatic ties. The first Constitution of the People's Republic of China was declared in 1954, with the current Constitution being declared in 1982.
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Sun Yat-sen was the provisional president
Sun Yat-sen was a leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) and is known as the father of modern China. He played a significant role in overthrowing the Qing (Manchu) dynasty in 1911-12 and served as the first provisional president of the Republic of China from 1911 to 1912. On January 1, 1912, Sun officially declared the establishment of the Republic of China and was inaugurated in Nanjing as the provisional president.
Sun Yat-sen's early political career was marked by his ambition to strengthen China and his resentment towards the domination of Chinese affairs by Western powers. He trained as a doctor but became a revolutionary, spending many years in exile and working to undermine the Qing dynasty from abroad. In 1894, he founded the Revive China Society in Hawaii, which became a precursor to the secret revolutionary groups he later led. Sun also co-founded the United League, which eventually became the Chinese Nationalist Party.
Sun Yat-sen's return to China in 1911 after 16 years of exile was a pivotal moment. He joined a group of delegates in Nanjing who supported the Wuhan Revolution against the Qing dynasty. On December 29, 1911, he was elected the provisional president of the Republic of China by these delegates. However, power in Beijing had already passed to Yuan Shikai, who controlled the Beiyang Army, the most powerful military force in China at the time. To prevent civil war and foreign intervention, Sun agreed to Yuan's demand for China to be united under a Beijing government led by Yuan. On March 10, 1912, Yuan Shikai became the second Provisional President of the Republic of China.
Sun Yat-sen's legacy is highly regarded in both Mainland China and Taiwan. He is considered the "Father of the Nation" in Taiwan, and his ideas, such as the Three Principles of the People, continue to influence the political and ideological landscape of the region.
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The first constitution was adopted in 1954
The People's Republic of China adopted its first constitution in 1954. This was almost a decade after the Chinese Civil War, which ended in 1949 with the victory of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the retreat of the Nationalists to Taiwan.
The constitution was adopted by the first session of the 1st National People's Congress. It established the Central People's Government and was based on the First Five-Year Plan, modelled on Soviet experience. The Soviet Union provided material and technical support for the plan, which focused on industrialization and channeled investment into urban areas, particularly heavy industry.
The 1954 constitution was the first of several. The current constitution was adopted in 1982 and has been amended five times. The 1982 constitution removed references to the Cultural Revolution and reaffirmed the leadership of the CCP.
The constitution outlines the basic national policies and establishes the system of government, including regional ethnic autonomy and community-level self-governance. It also includes a bill of rights, guaranteeing freedom of speech, assembly, association, procession, and demonstration.
The constitution has been the subject of academic analysis and debate. Some scholars argue that it appeals to the CCP because it does not address fundamental issues of governance, allowing the Party to address these issues through other regulatory mechanisms outside the constitutional realm.
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The current constitution was adopted in 1982
The Republic of China was established on 1 January 1912, in Nanjing, with a constitution stating the Three Principles of the People. This constitution declared that the ROC was to be "a democratic republic of the people, to be governed by the people and for the people". Sun Yat-sen was inaugurated as the first Provisional President. However, power in Beijing had already passed to Yuan Shikai, who had control of the Beiyang Army, the most powerful military force in China at the time.
Yuan was elected the first formal president of the ROC in 1913. He ruled by military power and ignored the republican institutions established by his predecessor. He soon dissolved the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party, banned "secret organisations", and ignored the provisional constitution. Yuan's imperial ambitions ended with the return of republican government.
The first Constitution of the People's Republic of China was declared in 1954. The current constitution was adopted by the 5th National People's Congress on 4 December 1982 and has since been amended five times. The 1982 Constitution expunged almost all of the rhetoric associated with the Cultural Revolution that was originally inserted in 1975. It also omits all references to the Cultural Revolution and restates CCP Chairman Mao Zedong's contributions in accordance with a major historical reassessment.
Article 35 of the 1982 Constitution proclaims that "citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession, and of demonstration". In the 1978 constitution, these rights were guaranteed, as was the right to strike and the "four big rights", often called the "four bigs": to speak out freely, air views fully, hold great debates, and write big-character posters. The right to strike was dropped from the 1982 Constitution.
The 1982 Constitution also includes provisions such as the explanation of the nature of the People's Republic of China, the highlighting of the concept of democratic centralism, and the statement that the PRC is a ""socialist state governed by a people's democratic dictatorship that is led by the working class and based on an alliance of workers and peasants". It also stipulates that central and local state institutions work under the system of the people's congress and that China implements basic political systems such as the system of community-level self-governance and the regional ethnic autonomy system.
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The constitution has been amended five times
On 1 January 1912, Sun Yat-sen declared the establishment of the Republic of China and was inaugurated as the first Provisional President in Nanjing. The republic's first national government was established on the same day, with a constitution stating the Three Principles of the People, which outlined a democratic republic governed by and for the people.
However, power struggles ensued, and the first formal president, Yuan Shikai, elected in 1913, ignored the provisional constitution and republican institutions. He dissolved the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party, banned secret organisations, and declared himself Emperor of China in 1915. Yuan's imperial ambitions ended with his death, and the republican government was restored.
The first Constitution of the People's Republic of China was declared in 1954, with the current Constitution being adopted in 1982. The 1982 Constitution has since been amended five times. The amendments have addressed various rights and freedoms, such as freedom of speech, assembly, and association, while also removing references to the Cultural Revolution and reassessing the contributions of CCP Chairman Mao Zedong.
The Constitution of the People's Republic of China is the supreme law of the land and outlines the nature of the state as a socialist republic governed by a people's democratic dictatorship, led by the working class and based on an alliance of workers and peasants. It establishes the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and stipulates that central and local state institutions work under the system of people's congress.
The Constitution also includes basic national policies, such as regional ethnic autonomy and community-level self-governance, and outlines the rights and obligations of citizens. For example, Article 35 of the 1982 Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, press, assembly, and association. The Constitution and Law Committee within the National People's Congress (NPC) is responsible for constitutional review and enforcement, ensuring that laws and regulations do not conflict with the Constitution.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, China started out as a republic with a constitution. On 1 January 1912, Sun Yat-sen officially declared the establishment of the Republic of China and was inaugurated as the first Provisional President in Nanjing. The first Republic of China national government was established with a constitution stating the Three Principles of the People, which stated that the ROC was to be a democratic republic governed by and for the people.
The Three Principles of the People were stated in the constitution of the first Republic of China and declared that the ROC was to be a democratic republic of the people, governed by the people and for the people.
The first Constitution of the People's Republic of China was declared in 1954. The current Constitution was declared in 1982 and has been amended five times since.
