Essays /

The Incompetence Of Existing Government Contributed Essay

Essay preview

The incompetence of the Provisional Government (PG) and the Guomindang (GMD) made a considerable contribution to the outbreak of revolution in Russia (Oct 1917) and China (1949). Both the PG and GMD were relatively new forms of government placed in power to resolve longstanding issues such as low standards of living and significant needs for reform. As a result, Russia had removed its Tsarist system in February earlier that year and China also expelled its dynastic system to become a Republic in 1911. However, Economic mismanagement and a nonexistent progression in reform made control by these governments questionable as their lack of action resurrected a desire for revolution for a second time. The shortcomings of the PG and GMD were intensified as working and living conditions continued to deteriorate and unpopular decisions were made regarding the government’s actions in WWI (Russia) and WWII (China). Mounting discontent made way for revolutionary groups such as the Bolsheviks and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as they were able to take advantage of government incompetence, fuelling support for their respective party. Economic mismanagement resulting from the PG and GMD’s incompetence contributed to the outbreak of revolution as its negative effects became more evident to the masses. In Russia, the PG faced issues such as hyperinflation, as it chose to continue its involvement in WWI after taking power. By 1917 national debt was at $50 million roubles and price levels had risen between 100 and 200 percent. (Handout 1 - Key Reforms in Russia) Compounding this issue, wages generally decreased by 50 percent, resulting in workers having no choice but to work 18-hour days in order to live, but even then they could, “barely [buy] a week’s bed and bread.” Consequently, discontent for the government was seen through strikes such as the July Days strike and the Baku Oil workers strike in September 1917. Similarly, in the lead up to revolution in 1949, China’s economy was being mismanaged as it faced similar issues such as supporting the finances required for its war effort against Japan. The Chinese government reprinted money in order to cover debt and salary expenses. Over 80 percent of the GMD’s budget went to the war effort, resulting in the issuing of new not...

Read more

Keywords

-49 -85 000 1 1.5 100 176 18 1900 1911 1917 1937 1938 1945 1948 1949 2 20 200 287 374 50 7 700 762 80 90 900 abl abus action address advantag affect aim allow alon also among amongst apart approach area armi attend author avert backward baku bare bark base becam becom bed began begin believ benefit boarder bolshevik bread broaden budget built bullet buy came capit case caus ccp centr chang charg chiang china chines choic chose cite citi civil class combat combin comfort common communist compar compound condit consequ consider continu contrast contribut control corrin cost could countri coup cover creat credit day debt decis decreas defenc delight demand desir despit deterior differ disallow discont discredit disillus disillusion disregard dissolv dollar dramat due dynast earlier eat econom economi effect effort empir essenti establish even eventu evid evolv excess exist expel expens extern face fact failur far featur februari fed fifth financ financi firm first focus food form format free front fuell fundament furthermor gain general generat gmd goal govern grain grasso greater group growth guomindang handout har health heavili high histori hopeless hour howev hyperinfl ideolog improv inabl inact incid incompet increas index indiffer industri inflat influenc intensifi introduc invas involv issu j japan japanes joseph juli june kai kai-shek keep kerenski kettl key kidnap kornilov lack land landlord later lead leader leagu led lenin level like littl live loan longstand loss love low lynch m made main maintain mainten major make mani mao mass member merchant met middl million mismanag modern modernis money month mount much nanj nation need negat never new newspap nonexist note oct offer oil order oust outbreak overal parti pastur patholog patriot payment peasant peopl percent period pg place plan poor popul posit post poverti power pravda pre pre-exist presenc prevent price primari prior problem profit progress promis protect protector provision put question quick quit rather reaction real reason red redempt reform regard regardless regim relat remain remov rent repli reprint republ requir resid resolut resolv resort respect result resurrect retali return reveal revenu revolt revolut revolutionari rich right rightw risen road roof roubl rural russia russian ruthless salari saw scheme second see seek seen seiz sell sens separ septemb set shanghai shek shell shortag shortcom show signific similar situat slow social societi solut soon sought space specif spirit spread squeez stalin stand standard stood strang strike struggl success suppli support sweep system take taken tax terroris therefor thought three three-fifth thus time togeth took total toward transport tree trigger true tsarist turn two ultim unbear union unit unless unpopular view vital vladimir wage war warlord way week well went western whip withdrew within work worker wrote wwi wwii year zedong zhang zongzhang