1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:02,080 Speaker 1: The Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,160 --> 00:00:05,760 Speaker 1: Heart Radio Welcome back to this Day in History Class, 3 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:09,399 Speaker 1: where we reveal a new piece of history every day. 4 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:24,520 Speaker 1: Today is May fourth, nineteen. The day was May fourth, 5 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 1: nineteen nineteen. At around one thirty in the afternoon, about 6 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:33,880 Speaker 1: three thousand students from universities in Beijing gathered at the 7 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: Gate of Heavenly Peace in tian and Moon Square. They 8 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: were protesting the Versailles Peace Conference, which gave German rights 9 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 1: over Shandong and Eastern Chinese Province to Japan. The demonstrations 10 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: marked a peak in the May Fourth Movement, an intellectual 11 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 1: revolution and socio political reform movement in China. In nineteen fourteen, 12 00:00:56,520 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 1: Japan seized control of Shandong from Germany. The next year, 13 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: Japan issued a set of demands known as the twenty 14 00:01:04,520 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 1: one Demands that would extend Japanese control of Manchuria and 15 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:12,839 Speaker 1: the Chinese economy. The demands called for China to recognize 16 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: Japan's seizure of German spheres of influence in China. Facing 17 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 1: the threat of war, Chinese President Yun Shu Kai accepted 18 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 1: most of the demands to appease Japan. This appeasement was 19 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:29,920 Speaker 1: not well received by many Chinese folks. An anti Japanese 20 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 1: sentiment grew in China. On top of that, the Warlord 21 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: era that began in China after UN's death in nineteen 22 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 1: sixteen caused much social and political strife. The New Culture 23 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: movement also helped build the foundation for the May Fourth movement. 24 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 1: New Youth, established by Picking University professor Chen Dooshu, was 25 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: a monthly magazine that promoted ideals like science and democracy, 26 00:01:56,280 --> 00:02:00,240 Speaker 1: while opposing some traditional Chinese ideals and confusion value use. 27 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 1: Intellectuals who were inspired by New Youth began advocating for 28 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 1: reform and denouncing parts of Chinese heritage. They uplifted notions 29 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 1: of nationalism, liberalism, and socialism. They also suggested a new 30 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: vernacular writing style that would replace the classical written win 31 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 1: Yan Chinese. In nineteen seventeen, China declared war against Germany. 32 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:27,960 Speaker 1: China joined the war on the side of the Allies 33 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 1: under the condition that it would get back all German 34 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 1: spheres of influence, including Shandong. The Allies were victorious, but 35 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:40,240 Speaker 1: when the Treaty of Versailles was drawn up in nineteen nineteen, 36 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 1: Shandong was given to Japan. This controversy became known as 37 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:50,360 Speaker 1: the Shandong Question or Shandong problem, and the Chinese public 38 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 1: was upset about that transfer of rights. Students at Beijing 39 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: University drafted a manifesto written by Luo Glen. It said, 40 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:03,160 Speaker 1: in part, this is the last chance for China in 41 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,919 Speaker 1: her life and death struggle. Today we swear two solemn 42 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:11,359 Speaker 1: oaths with all our fellow countrymen. First, China's territory may 43 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:15,239 Speaker 1: be conquered, but it cannot be given away. Second, the 44 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: Chinese people may be massacred, but they will not surrender. 45 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:24,399 Speaker 1: Our country is about to be annihilated. Up Brethren opposed 46 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:27,920 Speaker 1: to the Chinese delegations actions at the Paris Conference, a 47 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: coalition of student groups decided to hold a demonstration on 48 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 1: May seventh, but when the news about Shandong broke, they 49 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: decided to act quickly, so on May fourth, nineteen nineteen, 50 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 1: representatives from several student organizations met at the Peking College 51 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 1: of Law and Political Science to plan the demonstration. They 52 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 1: settled on five resolutions, which were as follows. Telegrams would 53 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 1: be sent to all interested in involved organizations domestically and 54 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 1: abroad asking them to protest this Jandong resolution. They would 55 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:05,880 Speaker 1: educate the Chinese masses about what was happening at the conference, 56 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 1: A centralized organization of all student groups would be established 57 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 1: for organizational and administrative purposes, and finally, the route for 58 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,880 Speaker 1: the demonstration that afternoon would start at tiana Mun Gate 59 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 1: and moved through the business area of the city. That afternoon, 60 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:27,839 Speaker 1: thousands of students from thirteen universities gathered at tiana Mun Square. 61 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 1: They passed out flyers that said China would not concede 62 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:35,160 Speaker 1: Shandong to Japan, and they called for the Baiyong government 63 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 1: not to ratify the Treaty of Versailles. The students marched 64 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:42,279 Speaker 1: to the Legation Quarter in Beijing, where the foreign embassies 65 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:46,719 Speaker 1: were located, and presented letters to foreign ministers. Diplomat cow 66 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:50,920 Speaker 1: Roulin's house was burned down. The next day the student 67 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 1: protesters and Beijing went on strike, and students elsewhere in 68 00:04:54,640 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 1: China followed. Students also boycotted Japanese goods. Several students were 69 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:03,120 Speaker 1: harmed or died in the demonstrations, and more than a 70 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:07,520 Speaker 1: thousand were arrested. In early June, somewhere around a hundred 71 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:10,839 Speaker 1: thousand industrial workers in Shanghai went on a week long 72 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:15,600 Speaker 1: general strike. The workers began demanding higher wages and better 73 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:19,760 Speaker 1: working conditions. Facing the pressure of all the protests, the 74 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: government finally gave in. The entire cabinet resigned. The government 75 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:29,840 Speaker 1: released student prisoners, dismissed pro Japanese officials, and refused to 76 00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:34,160 Speaker 1: sign the Versailles treaty, but Japan still had control of 77 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:38,480 Speaker 1: the Shandong peninsula. China signed a treaty with Germany in 78 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:42,640 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty one, and in nineteen two, Shandong was returned 79 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:46,640 Speaker 1: to China. As part of the deal, Japanese residents living 80 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:52,039 Speaker 1: in Shandong got special privileges. The anti imperialist May Fourth 81 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:55,720 Speaker 1: movement is seen as a turning point in Chinese intellectual thought. 82 00:05:56,560 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: Literature using vernacular Chinese emerged. The now nationalist Guaman Dong 83 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:05,720 Speaker 1: Party was reorganized, Mass meetings were held throughout China for 84 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:09,039 Speaker 1: the common people. And partly because the Chinese view the 85 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 1: Shandong problem as a betrayal by the Western powers, they 86 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 1: turned away from ideals of democracy and toward communism. Chinese 87 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:22,479 Speaker 1: political movement became more radical. I'm Eves Jeff Code, and 88 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:25,440 Speaker 1: hopefully you know a little more about history today than 89 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:29,839 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, 90 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:35,640 Speaker 1: and Facebook at t d i h C Podcast. Thanks 91 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 1: for showing up. We'll meet here again tomorrow. May the 92 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:43,559 Speaker 1: fourth be with you. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, 93 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:46,279 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 94 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:47,480 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.