May Fourth Movement

The may fourth movement of 1919 was one of the famous anti-foreign movement in China.Some scholars call the May Fourth Movement ?the Chinese Enlightenment." It marked the beginning of the upsurge of nationalist feeling. The May Fourth Movement was took place on 4th May 1919 by the unity of purpose among patriotic Chinese of all classes. The dissatisfaction by the Paris Peace Conference settlement and the effect of the New Cultural Movement were important to show the reason why the movement started.

The effect of China's dissatisfaction

China hoped that by joining in World War I in order to against Japan's aggression. China demanded the reutrn of the former German concessions in Shandong and the abolition of unequal treasties and the Twenty-one Demands. As a result, the German rights in Shandong were finally transferred to Japan. The decisions of the Paris Peace Conference resuted in great disappointment and anger among the Chinese. Strong nationalist feeling and anti-Japanese feelin' were upsurge. It eventually led to the May Fourth Movement in 1919.

In fact, the western powers did not want to give up their concessions in China. Moreover,before the end of the war,they had concluded secret treaties with Japan in which they promised to support her claims in Shandong. That's why the powers rejected China's demands. When China's demands were turned down at the Paris Peace Conference and the Shandong privileges were granted to Japan, the Chinese showed great dissatisfaction. Anti-Japanese demonstrations and boycotts were organized on 4 May 1919. This marked the beginning of the May Fourth Movement. Besides, anti-Japanese feeling had been increased in China since the forced acceptance of the Twenty-one Demands in 1915. The disappointment in 1919 further rised the nationalist feeling against Japan.

The effect of the New Cultural Movement

The New Culture Movement which started in the early republican period helped many Chinese intellectuals towards the future. It was a movement that aimed to introduce to China western concepts such as democracy, equality and liberty, and also a new style of writing as well as the newest science and technology at the time. The most famous leaders of the movement were Chen Duxiu,Cai Yuanpei and Hu Shih. Their ideas influenced many Chinese students who joined together to protest against Japan's aggression. It was under the intellectual background that the dissatisfaction with the Paris peace settlement brought about a massive outburst throughout the country on 4 May 1919.

On 4 May 1919, more than 3000 students from 13 colleges and universities in Beijing gathered together in Tiananmen Square to demonstrate. As the news spread, students, merchants and workers in other cities responded by organizing more demonstrations, strikes and boycotts of Japanese goods. These activities were held to denounce Japanese aggression. The movement showed a unity of purpose among patriotic Chinese of all classes.

Actually both the effect of China's dissatisfaction and the New Cultural Movement were equally important to the May Fourth Movement. From the effect of the China's dissatisfaction. Chinese rised up their nationalism and anti-Japanese feeling. They wanted to against the foreign rule and aggression, they wanted to strengthen themselves. The New Culture Movement helped the intellectual Chinese towards the future. The New Cultural Movement provided the intellectual background making it possible for the dissatisfaction with the Paris peace settlement to develop into a nationwide anti-foreign movement.

Under public pressure, the government had to release the arrested students.The unpopular Foreign minister was removed. On 28 June 1919, the Chinese delegates refused to sign the peace treaty which did not grant China's requests. It really provided Chinese an intellectual background for those Chinese who love their nation. It rised their natioalism in order to protect the nation. Finally they could be success.

The May Fourth Movement indicated the beginning of Chinese nationalism. It was the first time that different classes of people joined together to express their resentment against foreign aggression.In the following decades,the anti-foreign movement continued to aim at abolishing all the unequal treaties.

The May Fourth Movement also served as a intellectual revolution in China. Some intellectuals were interested in western learning for resisting foreign imperialism, some others who were bitterly disappointed by the paris peace settlement began to turn to Marxist theory as the alternative to solve China's problems. It was during this time that communism was studied seriously by some Chinese intellectuals such as Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao.