What do we know about the May 4th Movement of 1919?

The May 4th Movement has a special place in the history of China. It was the first mass movement that took place in China. Initiated mainly by university students who were angry about China’s treatment in the hands of Western powers, the May 4th Movement was intellectual and reformist in nature.

On 4 May, 1919, around 3,000 students from thirteen colleges in Beijing held a mass demonstration against the decision of the Versailles Peace Conference. The Treaty ended World War I officially and transferred the former German possessions in Shandong province to Japan instead of returning them to China. In the weeks that followed, the demonstrations grew into a national movement; students organized mass protests in various parts of the country. As many as 1,000 students were arrested and several killed.

Students were not the only ones who took part in the May 4th Movement; many labourers and political groups too supported the students. Though it failed to halt the Japanese takeover of Shandong, the Movement achieved several other objectives.

Picture Credit : Google

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