Yuan Shikai (Hunan, 1859 – Beijing, 1916) Chinese politician and military man.
Path
He was the protagonist of the profound transformations that China would undergo in the transition from its medieval and traditional structure towards the construction of the modern State. After the overthrow of the last emperor Puyi, belonging to the Qing dynasty , he became the prime minister of the new Republic of China, as decreed by the emperor. Belonging to one of the most traditional Chinese military families, Yuan, who since his youth had stood out for his cunning rather than for his academic preparation, managed to achieve a brilliant military and political career, even without having achieved high ranks. In 1882 he was sent to Korea , where he remained until 1894 with orders to prevent and control Japanese penetration in the area.
The Sino-Japanese War
Just three years later, thanks to his strict command and loyalty, he was chosen as the commissioner of the Chinese dynasty in Seoul . However, the Japanese persistence in gaining strength in this territory and weakening the territorial extension of China provoked the Sino – Japanese War of 1894-1895 , in which the Chinese military forces were destroyed and Japan emerged victorious. This was undoubtedly the first proof that China was a giant with feet of clay .
External weakness
The external weakness that Yuan displayed in the face of pressure from the European powers of the time, mainly Great Britain and France, which were eager to introduce their influence into the Chinese markets, undermined an internal cohesion that was more fictitious than real at the end of the 19th century . As a result, revolts and uprisings followed one another. Yuan, as governor of Chantung , remaining loyal to the Empress Dowager, continued to apply a timidly reformist policy, surviving the Boxer insurrection in 1900.
His political influence
His political influence continued to increase markedly while he remained firm in his ideological positions. He defended reform against revolution, and the imperial dynasty against any other state system, although this did not prevent him from accepting the inevitable fall of the emperor. During the revolution of 1911 , Sun Yat Sen, leader of the first Kuomintang , established a revolutionary republican government in Canton that dominated southern China. In contrast, in the north (specifically in Nanjing ) a provisional government led by Yuan Shikai was established, supported by all the most traditional and reactionary factions of the country .
At that time, China was living through one of the most difficult episodes in its history. With the state coffers completely empty, with a power incapable of extending its influence throughout the territory which, under anarchy, fell into the hands of local lords or “warlords”, and while international pressure was maintained, the proclamation of the Republic of China was merely symbolic, as the socio-economic and political structures remained intact.
Yuan in 1913
In 1913 , Yuan faced a revolt against him. His victory over Sun’s Kuomintang marked the end of all attempts to establish a parliamentary democracy following the model of the liberal-bourgeois revolutions that took place in Europe throughout the 19th century . Appointed president for life, a counter- revolutionary dictatorial regime was established in which the conservative forces, which had supported him throughout the process, attempted to create a new dynasty in 1915-1916 under his leadership.
This action, although aimed at strengthening national unity in China and the return of power to a centralizing axis, managed to provoke a completely opposite result. The interests of the civil conservatives clashed with those of the military forces. As a consequence, Yuan saw how opposition to his authority grew within the ranks of his top collaborators. Yuan died in the midst of a crisis of authority in 1916. His successor, Li Yuanhong, also failed to centralize power under his authority and continued a dangerous disintegrative process that maintained the state of civil war and facilitated the spread of new revolutions.