DESCRIPTION:
  • lasted between 1916 to 1927
  • warlords began emerging after fall of Qing Dynasty
  • during this time, many people were dying of starvation and warfare
  • various warlords held different strengths of power
    • some had armed troops
  • three major cliques in china at the time:
    • Anhui Clique -- leader: Duan Qirui
    • Zhili Clique-- Feng Guozhang
    • Fengtian Clique-- Zhang Zuolin
  • during the warlord era, china was economically and politically unstable
  • warlords:
    • some received relied on tax from local population
    • others had ties with foreign powers present in china
      • military and financial support

HOW IT HELPED MAO'S RISE:
During the warlord era, many people support the rising communists because they were for the communists principles (ex: law of equality). Mao eventually came to power because during the warlord era, the fearful people of the stool were hoping the principles the communists proposed would not fail them.