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What was the May Fourth Movement?

The May Fourth Movement began as a student protest against Japanese occupation of territories in China, then developed into a revolution that toppled the Chinese government. At the end of World War I (1914–18) the Treaty of Versailles gave Japan control of German territories in China that Japan had seized during the war. On May 4, 1919, students gathered in Beijing, the capital of China, to protest the Japanese presence. The demonstration came at a time when the Chinese government was seriously weakened. After the death of powerful leader Yuan Shih-k'ai (1859–1916), local military leaders (called war lords) rose to power in northern China, continually challenging the authority of the central government. Meanwhile, revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925) had begun promoting his three great principles—nationalism, democracy, and people's livelihood—in southern China, where he...

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