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Chapter 272 The contest between China and Japan regarding World War I (Part 2)

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    This time, Japan¡¯s attitude changed drastically and it even vigorously urged China to sever diplomatic relations with Germany.  On the day China lodged its protest to Germany, the Japanese Foreign Minister told the Chinese Minister in Japan that there was no need to lodge a protest first, and there was no need to wait for Germany's response to the protest. They could directly announce the cessation of diplomatic relations, and strongly encouraged China to join the war as soon as possible.

    Why has Japan¡¯s attitude toward China¡¯s participation in the war fundamentally changed?  First, Yuan Shikai is dead, and the real power of the Chinese government is in the hands of the warlord Duan Qirui.  Duan Qirui is a pro-Japanese faction. If China joins the war, Japan can use Duan Qirui to strengthen its power in China.  Second, Japan has successively obtained promises from the Western powers that it will inherit Germany's interests in Shandong, and its approval of China's participation in the war can be exchanged for further recognition by the powers.

    When the great powers overwhelmingly supported China's participation in the war, a major debate arose within China over the issue of participation in the war. Diplomats, politicians, military generals and all walks of life were involved in the debate.  Although there are different opinions, the mainstream opinion still recommends that China participate in the war. It is believed that China's participation in the war against Germany is from a small perspective, in order to deal with Japan and to occupy a place at the post-war peace conference; in the long term, it is to join the international community.  Going international will give China a say in the new world order.

    Duan Qirui, who is in charge of the government, also believes: "Japan has joined. If I don't join, Japan will definitely plunder Qingdao." And "Although Germany is a powerful country today, it is difficult to cause public anger. It is expected that it will be difficult to win. In the future, the Allied Powers will gain access to Qingdao."  If China wins, China will become an outsider, but if our country participates, it will be a completely different situation. By then, China will also be one of the victorious countries, and having a seat at the peace conference will definitely enhance China's international reputation.

    So, on August 14, 1917, after about half a year of struggle and debate, the Chinese government declared war on Germany.  At this time, there was still less than a year and three months before the end of World War I on November 11, 1918.

    After China entered the war, it immediately recovered the German and Austrian concessions in Tianjin and Hankou, revoked the consular jurisdiction of the two countries, and obtained a promise from the Allied Powers: the repayment of the Boxer Indemnity would be suspended for five years starting from December 1917 (Russia only agreed to postpone the repayment of 1/3)  , without interest; German-Austrian reparations are permanently canceled (accounting for 20.91%, including more than 90 million taels for Germany and 4 million taels for Austria-Hungary); the 5% fixed tax rate stipulated in the "agreement tariff" clause of the Treaty of Nanjing is changed, and the country increases it by 5%  Tariffs; China is allowed to temporarily station troops within 20 miles around Tianjin to prevent German and Austrian expatriates.

    In this way, the Beiyang government not only obtained conditions favorable to China in the Treaty of Versailles, but also obtained war compensation of approximately 84 million yuan from Germany.  Including the German ships China acquired during the war and the Boxer Indemnity that was waived, China's total revenue reached 250 million yuan.

    Generally speaking, China¡¯s participation in World War I not only successfully integrated into the world structure, but also reaped huge rewards with relatively small efforts. It can be called a brilliant diplomatic victory.

    Although China was a participant in the war, it did not send combat troops to Europe.  On September 14, 1917, the Chinese government officially announced its willingness to send troops to France to participate in the war, and proposed that China could send 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers to France within 6 weeks.  However, since Japan did not send a single soldier to the European battlefield for the Allied Powers, Japan did not want China to send troops.  Under the strong obstruction of Western powers, including Japan, China was ultimately unable to send troops to participate in the war.

    Because China failed to send troops to participate in the war, it was called "declaring no war."  On the Allied side, some people ridiculed China for its "ineffective participation in the war" and for being a "theoretical participant in the war."  Later, Japanese representatives at the Paris Peace Conference accused China of "not sending troops, not declaring war, not sending out invitations, not making seats."

    Although China did not send troops to participate in the war, it "replaced troops with work", sent a large number of workers to the European battlefield, and sent large quantities of food to some Allied countries, making an indelible and significant contribution to the victory of the war.  To say that China was a special participant in the First World War is because, as a victorious country, it did not receive the respect and treatment that a victorious country deserves. The purpose of China's participation in the war was not achieved at all. It was a humiliating participant and even more a humiliating victor.  .

    In China¡¯s modern history, Japan has always played an extremely bad role. It is the chief culprit in bullying China among the great powers and is also China¡¯s most dangerous enemy.  After the outbreak of World War I, Japan took advantage of the situation and seized Shandong's rights and interests in the name of declaring war on Germany to realize its expansion ambitions.  On the issue of China's participation in the war, Japan has repeatedly obstructed it, which is the biggest obstacle to China's participation in the war.  China tried to solve the Shandong issue by participating in the war and made a huge contribution to the victory of World War I. However, it suffered humiliation at the Paris Peace Conference and failed to regain Shandong sovereignty. The root cause also lies in Japan.  Today's China must still be wary of Japan and be on guard against Japan.

    Any sovereign country should have the right to make a choice when faced with a war.  However, China's participation in World War I could not be decided by itself. Instead, it was controlled by the great powers, and its destiny was in the hands of others.  The road to war is tortuous, difficult and long, which is sad, sighing and thought-provoking.  A weak country has no diplomacy, and a weak country has no role in international affairs.?Having no voice, we must always remember.  History has shown us: prosperity is the last word; if a country is weak, it will be bullied by others, and if it falls behind, it will be beaten.  Only by becoming a powerful country can China maintain its territorial sovereignty and national unity, get along with other countries on an equal footing, and have its due position on the world stage.

    Although China¡¯s participation in the war contained elements of conformity to strength, it failed to receive equal treatment at the Paris Peace Conference and failed to achieve its intended goals.  However, China's decision itself is positive and groundbreaking.  By participating in the war, all unequal treaties with Germany and Austria were abolished, setting a precedent for modern China to abolish imperialist privileges in China; it stopped or postponed the payment of the Boxer Indemnity and other interest payments on loans to Germany, to a certain extent.  Reduce the burden on the Chinese people.  From a broad perspective, China's participation in the war won a ticket to enter the international community. For the first time, it participated in the rearrangement of the international relations system as a victorious country. It became a founding member of the League of Nations and established a closer institutional relationship with the international community.  connect.

    ??Revolving around the time before and after China and Japan entered the First World War, the essence was a competition between the power of China and Japan, and between the central government of Beiyang and Anhui.

    Since war has been declared, it is natural that there must be troops that can fight on behalf of China against the Allies.  Relying on the existing army, there is no need to think about it.  In comparison, the gap between Japan and Soviet Russia on land was not generally large, and Soviet Russia's army disadvantage compared to Germany was also incomparable.  As for China, its weapons during World War II were not as good as the Japanese military's equipment during World War I.  Such troops, going to meet the great powers in Europe where mechanized warfare is practiced, what else can they do but seek torture and death?  (Remember the website address: www.hlnovel.com
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