---
node: republic_of_china
type: period
slug: republic_of_china_era
title: "Republic of China era"
lead: "The Republic of China era (1912–1949 on the mainland) followed the fall of the Qing. It was marked by warlordism, war with Japan, and a civil war that ended in Communist victory."
published: 2026-07-09
updated: 2026-07-09
---

## Overview

The Republic of China was proclaimed on January 1, 1912, with Sun Yat-sen as provisional president. Power soon passed to Yuan Shikai, whose death in 1916 opened the warlord era; the Kuomintang's Northern Expedition (1926–28) nominally reunified the country.

## Key developments

The May Fourth Movement of 1919 energized political and cultural renewal, and the Chinese Communist Party was founded in 1921. Japan seized Manchuria in 1931, and full-scale war followed from 1937 to 1945.

## End and transition

Civil war between the Nationalists and the Communists resumed in 1946 and ended in Communist victory. In 1949 the People's Republic was proclaimed, and the ROC government relocated to Taiwan.