The important characteristics of the revolution lay in the fact that it was anti-Manchu, anti-traditional and anti-foreign with a strong dose of nationalistic ferment.
The Revolution of 1911 brought the Manchu rule in China to an end. Obviously the dynasty had lost its moral basis to rule China. It was but inevitable that an incompetent, corrupt and decadent dynasty like that of the Manchus should sooner or later collapse. Its end was however hastened by the mounting Western impact and the national spirit that came in its wake. The political transition from the anarchical Manchu misrule to Republic was deceptively peaceful. The Republic had a constitution, parliamentary procedures, codes of law but only on paper. The constitution was not understood, the parliamentary procedures were not followed and the law codes were never enforced. The result was the Republic opened on an era of disorder and turmoil.
In the early Republican years, China was faced with internal chaos, increasing foreign economic pressure and the tyranny of the provincial war-lords. Although the Revolution of 1911 did not bring in the promised bright era for China, it had immense significance for the future. The Confustion order was discareded once and for all. The old moorings to which China had clung for about two thousand years were cut loose. The old barriers were broken and China launched herself into the modern world. Dr. Sun Yat Sen’s Tung Ming Hui was converted into Kuomintang which consolidated. The greater part of China into integrated unit under the leadership of Chiang Kai-Shek.
The bloodless revolution of 1911 was the hand-work of one of the China’s greatest leaders, Dr. Sun Yat Sen. His three principles Democracy, Nationalism and Socialism provided the ideological foundation for China’s future.
The Revolution of 1911 brought to an end the discredited Manchu dynasty and inaugurated the Republic. It provided thus a constitutional form of government, the replacing absolutist monarchy. It proclaimed the sovereignty of the people, though it was long before the implications of this sovereignty were worked out. Socially, the Revolution was anti-traditionalist. The old moorings were cut loose and China embarked on her modern era. The Confucian codes and traditional loyalties which remained much eroded on account of foreign influence and Western education was now given a clean sweep. Another fundamental feature of the revolution was the emergence of the spirit of nationalism. The foreign penetration and exploitation of China had already created a strong anti-foreign sentiment. The Revolution provided a focal point for the expression of the nationalist sentiment.
