The Capital Revolution: A Case Study of Chinese Student Movements in the 1920s
Author(s)
Yuan, Zheng
Abstract
Discusses two mass movements that erupted in Beijing during October and November 1925: the Movement for Tariff Autonomy and the Capital Revolution. Although the prevailing scholarship tended not to separate these two movements, they had different origins and motives. The Movement for Tariff Autonomy drew the participation of thousands of students in its demonstrations against the Special Conference on Customs Tarrifs, an international meeting in October to decide the extent of China’s control of its national tariffs. Violent clashes with police transformed this movement into a more radical, Bolshevik-style revolt against local warlord Duan Qirui (1865-1936). The second movement, known as the Capital Revolution, was led by Nationalist Party representative Li Dazhao and involved massive demonstrations, violence, political demands and the destruction of the offices of one of Beijing’s leading newspapers, Chenbao. This student-based revolt was unable to supplant warlord control of the city and disbanded by late November.
