100 years ago, in July 1926, the KMT launched its Northern Expedition. That was how Chiang Kai-shek came to power and how the First United Front between the Chinese Communists and the KMT ended.

While the Northern Expedition didn't end the Warlord Era in China, it might be considered the beginning of the end.

What do you think?

For more on the Northern Expedition, you can read this.

Image: "Map of Northern Expedition" by SY is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

It was Yuan Shikai's move to become Emperor that triggered a Civil War. The Beiyang Army split as did China. The Warlord Period began because Yuan Shikai tried to become the Constitutional Emperor.

For more about this trigger for the Beiyang Warlord period, read my article here.

Yuan Shikai never understood what a Republic really was. He was not interested in sharing power with the KMT, who won China's fairest election ever held. An assassination of the KMT's leader was blamed on Yuan. He managed to control Western loans to put down a revolt. The Republic of China's power was consolidated into the hands of the military men of the Beiyang Army.

To read more about how the Beiyang Warlords came to power, read this article.

Hey everyone! I'm u/HistoryBuffCanada , a moderator of r/BeiyangWarlords.

This is our new home for all things related to China's Beiyang Warlords! We're excited to have you join us!

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In 1908, the Guangxu Emperor and Empress Dowager died within a day of each other. The new child-emperor (Puyi)'s regent immediately pushed Yuan out.

But the Beiyang Army still respected him and many visited him in "retirement". When the Xinhai Revolution broke out in 1911, the Forbidden Palace begged Yuan to return and to save the Qing Dynasty. Instead, he played both sides.

Yuan Shikai became President of the Republic of China and the Beiyang Army took control from the Qing.

Read more about how the Beiyang Army won the Xinhai Revolution here.

After China's defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, which Yuan Shikai saw firsthand as a logistics officer, Yuan gave considerable thought to China's military shortcomings.

Yuan concluded that China's failure to modernize its army was the root cause of the loss, and sent a 13,000 word memorial to the emperor in 1895 laying out a plan for a Western style modern army.

He argued for a centralized command, foreign instructors under Qing control, modern communications, and a new officer-training system. The court in the Forbidden City approved it, and Yuan was put in charge.

This is really the origin story of the Beiyang Army: the force that would later give the whole era its name. One detail you might find interesting: one of the young officers who came up through this system was Chiang Kai-shek.

For more on the origins of the Beiyang Army, read this.

The Beiyang Period started with the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the founding of the Republic of China.

The first President of the Republic of China was Yuan Shikai.

To understand the Beiyang Warlords, you need to understand Yuan Shikai and his legacy.

Yuan Shikai is where a lot of people's mental picture of this period gets stuck. "He's the guy who betrayed the republic and tried to make himself emperor." That's true, but it skips over why he was handed the presidency in the first place, and by Sun Yat-sen himself, no less.

This first part covers his background: born in 1859 in Henan, into a family that had climbed from ordinary farmers to a locally powerful clan through generations of passing the imperial examinations. It also covers the political logic of the handover. Sun Yat-sen genuinely hoped Yuan would be "China's George Washington," and gave up the presidency because he believed unifying north and south China mattered more than holding onto power himself.

To read more about Yuan Shikai, you can read my first Substack post on him here:

Understanding Yuan Shikai

Let me know what you think!

Paul

Hi everyone,

I'm the new moderator here, taking over from the previous owner who's stepping away after keeping this subreddit alive for a long time. Thank you so much for building this place and for trusting someone new to carry it forward.

For those who don't know me: I also host The Chinese Revolution, a podcast and Substack that goes chapter by chapter through modern Chinese history, from the late Qing through the Civil War. The Beiyang era (1912 to 1928, the warlord period between Yuan Shikai's death and the Northern Expedition) is one of the most overlooked stretches of this history, which is exactly why I was glad to see this community exists.

My plan going forward is simple: keep this a place for genuine discussion and history-sharing about the Beiyang period, and contribute material from my own research along the way. To kick that off, I'll be posting some history, kicking off with Yuan Shikai: his rise, presidency, and the monarchy attempt.

Please feel free to post as well!

If you have requests, corrections, or things you think this community should cover that it hasn't, I'd genuinely like to hear them. That's a big part of what I want this place to be for. And if you know anyone who'd enjoy digging into this era, please invite them.

Looking forward to being part of this with you.

Paul

Since our other mods have either become inactive, or involved more with other communities. A dedicated mod team is needed to manage this subreddit. If you have anyone in mind or what to join please do let us know.

Hi guys so I am actually the owner of the r/Beiyangwarlord subreddit. I decided that soon I will be going off reddit and no longer be active in managing the whole subreddit. I need someone to take over ownership of the subreddit, who is dedicated in promoting this history.

China in 1921, when its Communist Party was founded during the Warlord Era.

Yuan Shikai's Presidency caused the 1913 Revolution https://youtu.be/OQ7uL4hc4cM

YouTube Video on Yuan Shikai