Xinhai Revolution

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

The XinHai Revolution, also known as the 1911 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 (with the most famous being the Boxer Rebellion). The XinHai revolution's success marked the collapse of over two millennia of Chinese monarchy and the beginning of China's early republican era.

In the 19th century, the Qing Dynasty faced a number of challenges to it's rule that weakened it's power and served as the foundation to it's downfall. The two Opium Wars especially forced Qing Dynasty's international position to weaken drastically. Loss of land, opening of ports for trade, as well as gradually increasing civilian 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 the Qing government hoped; decentralization of power led to fragile stabilization for less then a decade. The XinHai revolution was the last straw that broke the camel's back, built upon decades of government decay and foreign invasion that called for reform.