Caspar Weinberger
American politician (1917-2006)
Yuan Shikai
Chinese military and government official (1859-1916)
Yuan Shikai was a powerful Chinese general and statesman who played a crucial role in the fall of the Qing dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China. He rose to prominence during the late Qing era, leading major modernization programs and reforms before briefly becoming the Emperor of China in 1915. However, his authoritarian ambitions led to conflict and his eventual downfall, leaving behind a weakened Beiyang government and a fragmented political landscape.
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About the Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikaiwas a Chinese general and statesman who served as Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet, the second provisional president of the Republic of China, head of the Beiyang government from 1912 to 1916 and Emperor of China from 1915 to 1916. A major political figure during the late Qing dynasty, he spearheaded a number of major modernisation programs and reforms and played a decisive role in securing the abdication of the Xuantong Emperor in 1912, which marked the collapse of the Qing monarchy and the end of imperial rule in China.
Born to an affluent family in Henan, Yuan began his career in the Huai Army. He was sent to Joseon to head a Qing garrison in Seoul and was appointed imperial resident and supreme adviser to the Korean government after thwarting the Gapsin Coup in 1885. He was recalled to China shortly before the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War, and received command of the first New Army, which paved the way for his rise to power. In 1898, Yuan formed an alliance with Empress Dowager Cixi and helped bring an end to the Guangxu Emperor’s Hundred Days’ Reform. Promoted to Viceroy of Zhili in 1902, Yuan quickly expanded the Beiyang Army into the best trained and most effective military force in China. He played an active role in the Late Qing reforms, which included the abolition of the imperial examination. Yuan fell from power upon the death of Cixi in 1908 and was forced into exile, but he retained the loyalty of the Beiyang Army and as such remained an influential figure.
On the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising in 1911, Yuan was recalled to court, appointed Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet and tasked with suppressing the rebels. After brief fighting, he entered into negotiations with Sun Yat-sen’s revolutionaries and arranged for the abdication of the child emperor Puyi, leading to the fall of the Qing dynasty. In return, Yuan was elected president of the new republican government in 1912 after Sun resigned in his favour. Yuan’s desire for dictatorial power brought him into conflict with the National Assembly and the Kuomintang (KMT), provoking a second revolution which was decisively crushed. He then outlawed the KMT and dissolved the National Assembly.
In December 1915, in an attempt to further secure his rule, Yuan restored the monarchy and proclaimed himself as the Hongxian Emperor (Hong Xian ). The move was met with widespread opposition from the general populace, many of his closest supporters in the Beiyang Army, as well as foreign governments. Several military governors and provinces rose in open rebellion. In March 1916, Yuan formally abdicated and restored the Republic, having been emperor for only 83 days. He died of uraemia in June at the age of 56, leaving behind a significantly weakened Beiyang government and a fragmented political landscape, which soon plunged China into a period of warlordism.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yuan Shikai was a Chinese general and statesman who served as the second provisional president of the Republic of China, head of the Beiyang government, and briefly as the Emperor of China from 1915 to 1916.
Yuan Shikai played a decisive role in securing the abdication of the Xuantong Emperor in 1912, which marked the collapse of the Qing monarchy and the end of imperial rule in China.
Yuan Shikai began his career in the Huai Army, and later formed an alliance with Empress Dowager Cixi, which helped him rise to power. He was promoted to Viceroy of Zhili in 1902 and expanded the Beiyang Army into the most effective military force in China.
Yuan Shikai’s desire for dictatorial power brought him into conflict with the National Assembly and the Kuomintang (KMT), provoking a second revolution which was decisively crushed. He then outlawed the KMT and dissolved the National Assembly.
In December 1915, Yuan Shikai restored the monarchy and proclaimed himself as the Hongxian Emperor. This move was met with widespread opposition from the general populace, his closest supporters in the Beiyang Army, and foreign governments. Several military governors and provinces rose in open rebellion, and Yuan was forced to abdicate in March 1916 after only 83 days as emperor.
After Yuan Shikai’s death in 1916, he left behind a significantly weakened Beiyang government and a fragmented political landscape, which soon plunged China into a period of warlordism.
Yuan Shikai began his career in the Huai Army and was later sent to Joseon to head a Qing garrison in Seoul, where he was appointed imperial resident and supreme adviser to the Korean government after thwarting the Gapsin Coup in 1885. This early military experience and political appointment helped pave the way for his rise to power in China.