五四運動(英文簡介).doc

五四運動發生于1919年的5月4日，是一場發生于中國北京、以青年學生為主的學

生運動，以及包括廣大群眾、市民、工商人士等中下階層廣泛參與的一次示威游行、請愿、

罷課、罷工、暴力對抗政府等多形式的愛國運動。事件起因在第一次世界大戰完結后舉行的

巴黎和會中，列強肆意踐踏中國主權，把德國在山東的權益轉讓給日本，即山東問題。就此，

當時中國的北洋政府未能捍衛國家利益，在列強面前顯得軟弱，使國人異常不滿，從而上街

游行表達不滿。

廣義的五四運動則是指自1915年中日簽訂《二十一條》至1926北伐戰爭之間，中

國知識界和青年學生反思中國傳統文化，探索強國之路的思想文化運動。

The May fourth Movement was an anti-imperialist, cultural, and political

movement growing out of student demonstrations in Beijing on May 4, 1919

protesting the Chine government's weak respon to the Treaty of Versailles,

especially the Shandong Problem. The demonstrations sparked national

protests and marked the upsurge of Chine nationalism, a shift towards

political mobilization and away from cultural activities, and a move towards

populist ba rather than intellectual elites.

The broader u of the term "May Fourth Movement" often refers to the

period during 1915-1921 more usually called the New Culture Movement.

Background

Following the Xinhai Revolution in 1911, the Qing Dynasty was overthrown. This

marked the end of thousands of years of powerful imperial rule, and

theoretically ushered a new era in which political power rested with the people.

However, the reality was that China was a fragmented nation dominated by

warlords, who were more concerned with their own political powers and private

armies than national interests. The Chine Beiyang government was occupied

with suppressing internal affairs, and did little to counter the influence exerted

by imperialist foreign powers. The Beiyang government made various

concessions to foreigners in order to gain monetary and military support against

their rivals.

Leaders of the New Culture Movement responded by questioning Chine

the British army, the Chine Labour Corps) were nt to France. Instead of

rewarding China for its contribution to the Allies’ victory, the Versailles Treaty of

April 1919 awarded German rights in Shandong Province to Japan. The

reprentatives of the Chine government put forth the following requests:

the abolition of all privileges of foreign powers in China, such as

extraterritoriality;

the cancelling of the "Twenty-One Demands" with the Japane; and

the return to China of the territory and rights of Shandong, which Japan had

taken from Germany during World War I.

The Western Allies dominated the meeting and paid little heed to the

Chine reprentatives' demands. Britain and France were primarily interested

in punishing Germany. Although the United States promoted Woodrow Wilson's

utopian Fourteen Points and the ideals of lf-determination at the conference,

Wilson abandoned most of the ideals in the face of stubborn resistance by

David Lloyd George and Georges Clemenceau. American advocacy of

during this period was advocated, which boosted the domestic Chine industry

slightly. Throughout the streets of China, students packed the streets to protest

China’s concession to Japane demands. During the demonstrations,

students also insisted on the resignation of three Chine officials involved in

the proceedings. After burning the residence of one of the three despid

officials, student protesters were arrested and verely assaulted.

They shouted out such slogans as "Struggle for the sovereignty externally,

get rid of the national traitors at home", "Do away with the 'Twenty-One

referred to this era as the Chine Renaissance becau there was an inten

focus on science and experimentation.

The challenge to traditional Chine values, however, was also met with

strong opposition, especially from Chiang Kai Shek's Nationalist Party. From

their perspective, the movement destroyed the positive elements of Chine

tradition and placed a heavy emphasis on direct political actions and radical

attitudes, characteristics of the emerging Chine Communist Party. On the