Yuan Shikai (16 September 1859-6 June 1916) was the head of state of China from 10 March 1912 to 6 June 1916, succeeding Sun Yat-sen and preceding Li Yuanhong. Yuan was a reactionary monarchist who had taken advantage of the 1911 Xinhai Revolution to seize power for himself, declaring himself the leader of the Empire of China in 1915 and reigning as Emperor until March 1916, when he was defeated in the National Protection War. His death in June 1916 led to the start of the "Warlord Era" in China.
Biography[]
Yuan Shikai was born in Zhangying, Chenzhou, Henan in Qing dynasty-era China on 16 September 1859 to a wealthy family, and he received a typical Confucian education. After failing the civil service exam, he decided to enter the army as a means of rising above his station, and he was sent to command the Chinese garrison forces in Korea during the First Sino-Japanese War. In 1895, he took over command of the Qing's new and modernized army, and he also served as Governor of Shandong. During the Boxer Rebellion, he was one of the Qing generals who sided with the European nations against the Righteous and Harmonious Fists, gaining the support of foreigners after crushing the Boxers in Shandong. Yuan raised money to make his Beiyang Army the strongest in China, and he was sent to suppress the Wuchang Uprising of 1911. Rather than take Wuchang, Yuan decided to negotiate with the rebels, agreeing to convince Emperor Puyi to abdicate in exchange for becoming the first president of the Republic of China; the rebels would therefore succeed in establishing a republic, while the reactionary forces maintained power under Yuan.
President of China[]
Yuan being sworn in as President of China
Yuan decided to keep the capital at Beijing (Peking), within his sphere of influence, rather than move the capital to Sun Yat-sen's proposed location in Nanjing, exercising power in the north. The reactionary "Yuan Shikai clique" ran the government, and Yuan and Sun became rivals, with the liberal Kuomintang party and Yuan Shikai's faction being divided politically and geographically. In 1913, Kuomintang leader Song Jiaoren challenged Yuan's power by running for Premier, which threatened to bring the KMT to power in the government. Yuan had Song assassinated, leading to the outbreak of a "Second Revolution" led by Sun Yat-sen. Yuan put down Sun's uprising and became the dictator of China, and he became even more unpopular after he decided to give Japan control of Tsingtao and Germany's other possessions, allowed for Japanese citizens to take jobs in Manchuria and Inner Mongolia, and extended Japanese control of its treaty ports and the Manchurian Railroad by 99 years.
Emperor of China[]
Yuan Shikai as emperor
In December 1915, he declared himself Emperor of the Empire of China with the unanimous support of the National Assembly, and he cracked down on the KMT. This led to the National Protection War, with republicans led by Cai E rebelling against the government. He was faced with widespread opposition as 13 provinces proclaimed their independence, and he abandoned the empire on 22 March 1916 after 83 days of leading the empire. Yuan resumed his tenure as President of China, although this did not weaken the opposition to his rule. Yuan Shikai died of urea, a blood disease, on 6 June 1916 at the age of 56, ending his tyrannical rule. Li Yuanhong succeeded him as Emperor of China.