As a continuation of this thread, where Sun Yat-Sen was blasted as incompetent for presidency of the Republic of China, who would effectively be able to take his place, if we do not count Sun Yat-Sen or Yuan Shikai?
Who would effectively be able to lead the republic of China?
- Thread starter E1ira2100
- Start date
Song Jiaoren, who had won China's first democratic election in 1913, was a charismatic leader. He had ability to build strong working relationship with people who had different beliefs and backgrounds. For example, Song was able to rally different factions within Kuomintang Party to support him, while Sun alienated almost every faction in the same party.
During this chaotic time, Song would be best candidate to navigate China through politic and economic turmoils.
During this chaotic time, Song would be best candidate to navigate China through politic and economic turmoils.
His lack of a track record makes me think you may be overconfident, but of course for alternate history purposes the lack of a track record gives the writer a lot of freedom. So a timeline where the assassination fails, or perhaps Yuan gets killed off before he can plan the assassination, is probably a reasonable start for a China wank. More specifically, perhaps have the assassination attempt fail in a way that completely exposes the plot, including Yuan's involvement? Establishing a norm that assassination is not the way to get things done is extremely important to having a functioning government, and having the tactic associated with a spectacular high-profile failure could help with that.
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Yan Xishan.
Even before the Warlord era, Yan was exposed to the progress Japan had made under the Meiji Restoration and when he returned to China, he said it was at risk of being trampled by Japan unless it developed it's own equivalent of Bushido, since he was impressed by how the Japanese government was able to mobilize it's people during the Russo-Japanese War. While many warlords in China after Yuan Shikai's death in 1916, had a horrid reputation (the Dogmeat General, anyone?), Yan was not one of them.
When a bubonic plague broke out in the province, he issued instructions on modern germ theory and threatened police action against those who wouldn't isolate themselves. He had a positive relationship with foreign advisers who came to help him with the epidemic, believing them to be better than his conservative and apathetic underlings.
Yan also funded a medical school in the provincial capital of Taiyuan, starting in 1921, which taught Chinese doctors the basics of Western medicine. This was inspired by Yan's three month stay in a Japanese hospital.
When it came to social reform, he combated female illiteracy by creating one vocational school in each provincial district, where peasant girls could be given a basic education. After 1925, he even allowed them to enrol in middle school and college. He also harshly cracked down upon men who bound their wives' feet.
He cracked down on opium use. In 1916, 10% of the 10 million residents of the province smoked opium. By 1922, this was reduced by 80%, but when it became clear even his officials were skirting the ban, Yuan instead attempted to create a monopoly on opium and executed 600 people caught smuggling drugs into Shaanxi. However, Yan's policies were frustrated by the Japanese, who manufactured heroin and heroin in Tianjin.
At the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Yan was able to convince thousands of Japanese soldiers, from across northern China, to come fight for him, eventually numbering 15,000, plus an officers corps, though this number would be reduced to 10,000 under American pressure. By doing this, he was able to retain control of the extensive industrial complex around Taiyuan as well as the managerial and technical staff employed by the Japanese. These soldiers would continue to fight for Yan against the Communists in the resumed Chinese Civil War, with many of the Japanese soldiers committing mas suicide upon the fall of Taiyuan in 1949, by which time the number of Japanese soldiers had fallen to 3,000.
Even before the Warlord era, Yan was exposed to the progress Japan had made under the Meiji Restoration and when he returned to China, he said it was at risk of being trampled by Japan unless it developed it's own equivalent of Bushido, since he was impressed by how the Japanese government was able to mobilize it's people during the Russo-Japanese War. While many warlords in China after Yuan Shikai's death in 1916, had a horrid reputation (the Dogmeat General, anyone?), Yan was not one of them.
When a bubonic plague broke out in the province, he issued instructions on modern germ theory and threatened police action against those who wouldn't isolate themselves. He had a positive relationship with foreign advisers who came to help him with the epidemic, believing them to be better than his conservative and apathetic underlings.
Yan also funded a medical school in the provincial capital of Taiyuan, starting in 1921, which taught Chinese doctors the basics of Western medicine. This was inspired by Yan's three month stay in a Japanese hospital.
When it came to social reform, he combated female illiteracy by creating one vocational school in each provincial district, where peasant girls could be given a basic education. After 1925, he even allowed them to enrol in middle school and college. He also harshly cracked down upon men who bound their wives' feet.
He cracked down on opium use. In 1916, 10% of the 10 million residents of the province smoked opium. By 1922, this was reduced by 80%, but when it became clear even his officials were skirting the ban, Yuan instead attempted to create a monopoly on opium and executed 600 people caught smuggling drugs into Shaanxi. However, Yan's policies were frustrated by the Japanese, who manufactured heroin and heroin in Tianjin.
At the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Yan was able to convince thousands of Japanese soldiers, from across northern China, to come fight for him, eventually numbering 15,000, plus an officers corps, though this number would be reduced to 10,000 under American pressure. By doing this, he was able to retain control of the extensive industrial complex around Taiyuan as well as the managerial and technical staff employed by the Japanese. These soldiers would continue to fight for Yan against the Communists in the resumed Chinese Civil War, with many of the Japanese soldiers committing mas suicide upon the fall of Taiyuan in 1949, by which time the number of Japanese soldiers had fallen to 3,000.
See my post at Song Jiaoren at https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...ren-is-not-assassinated.474994/#post-19463179
You are right about lacking of a tracking record. That did give him a competitive advantage. I think if circumstance was right, he might be the right person to lead China.
If the assassination attempt has failed and the coronation plan was exposed, that would be the end for Yuan. In this scenario, Song would be a perfect candidate to replace Yuan. His position would be secured and legit.