Xinhai Revolution

The Xinhai Revolution, also known as the 1911 Revolution, was a revolution in China in 1911 that consisted of many revolts and rebellions. At the end of the revolution, the last emperor, Puyi, abdicated. China changed from a monarchy to a republic.

The revolution ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The revolution was a result of more then a decade of revolts and uprisings, the most famous of which was the Boxer Rebellion. The revolution's success marked the end of over two millennia of monarchy and the beginning of the country's early republican era.^[1]

In the 19th century, the Qing dynasty faced a number of challenges to its rule that weakened its power and served as the foundation to its downfall. The two Opium Wars especially made the Qing dynasty's international position weaken drastically. The loss of land, the opening of ports for trade, and the gradually-increasing dissatisfaction led to the Qing dynasty's rapid decline.

Last-ditch efforts at constitutional reform did not pave the way to long-term control as the Qing government had hoped sioncwe the decentralization of power had led to a fragile stabilization for less than a decade. The revolution was only the last straw that broke the camel's back and had been caused by decades of government decay, foreign invasion, and calls for reform.