Chinese Republic

The Republic of China (ROC) was established on 1 January 1912 following the Xinhai Revolution, which overthrew the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and ended China's imperial history. The Beiyang government in Beijing was the internationally recognized government of the ROC from 1912 to 1928, with regional warlords exercising control over parts of the country after the death of Beiyang leader Yuan Shikai in 1916. In 1926, the Kuomintang (KMT) launched the Northern Expedition, eventually reunifying the country in 1928. Thereafter, the KMT ruled the ROC as a one-party state with Nanjing as the capital. In 1949, the KMT-led Nationalist government was defeated in the Chinese Civil War and lost control of mainland China to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCP established the People's Republic of China (PRC) while the ROC was forced to retreat to Taiwan. The ROC is recorded as a founding member of both the League of Nations and the United Nations. The ROC claimed 11.4 million km2 (4.4 million sq mi) of territory, and its population of 541 million in 1949 made it the most populous country in the world. The Republic of China was officially proclaimed on 1 January 1912 by revolutionaries under...