In 1911 the Xinhai revolution saw China became a Republic under Yuan Shikai, a General within the powerful Beiyang Army.
However China lost both Mongolia and Tibet and thousands of Bai Lang bandits pillaged the countryside.
And, as the Qing dynasty fell apart Generals and even bandit leaders seized provincial and asserted their autonomy. And these became the warlords.
Sun Yat-Sens Kuomintang, the party who largely led the revolution, made many concessions in the establishment of the Republic.
But the KMT leader in the new Assembly, Song Jiaoren, still won the elections in 1913 after campaigning to reduce to the powers of the Presidency.
He was however was assassinated shortly afterwards, causing many in KMT strongholds in the South to rise up against Yuan.
This, the second revolution, however was quickly and the KMT was banned.
Yuan, now looking for international support, took out foreign loans, and agreed to give Japan more concessions as part of the 21 demands.
All of which angered his nationalistic Generals.
Then, in 1915, he crowned himself Emperor, encouraging a Clique of Generals in Yunnan to declare independence, starting the National Protection War in December.
Yuans armies were defeated and Generals across Southern China joined the uprising, so he agreed to restore the Republic just before dying.
Li Yuanhong was made the new President, but, he fell out with his Prime Minister, Duan Qirui, over China’s entry into WW1.
And as Beijing became divided, one General, Zhang Xun, marched into Beijing with the deposed Puyi Emperor in July 1917, hoping to restore the Monarchy.
Zhangs armies were defeated but Li still resigned, allowing Duan to rule alongside Li’s Vice President, Feng Guozhang.
However Sun Yat-Sen arrived back in the South and, alongside Southern Warlords who had previously opposed Yuan Shikai, like Tang Jiyao, established a rival government, starting the Constitutional Protection movement.
Duan favoured crushing the KMT militarily, but Feng favoured diplomacy. So the 2 split and, now fearful of one another, formed cliques with allied officers and bureaucrats.
Feng formed the Zhili Clique and Duan the Anhui Clique, which was backed by Japan.
But many Generals remained neutral, like Zhang Zhoulin’s Fengtian Clique in Manchuria, and there was the Muslim Ma Clique, Yang Zengxin in Xinjiang,
Yan Xishan in Shanxi and many minor ones in provinces like Sichuan, which was being fought over by numerous warlords.
The new President in Beijing, Xu Shichang, remained neutral and but had very little power.
But in 1918 many turned against Duan when his expeditions South proved a failure. And he recognised Japans acquisition of German concessions and used Japanese loans to reoccupy Mongolia.
The subsequent anti-Japanese May the 4th Movement, saw thousands protest and helped create the Chinese Communist Party.
So, taking advantage of this, Cao Kun, the new leader of the Zhili Clique, forged an alliance with Zhang’s Fengtian Clique and attacked.
In July 1920, after the 9 day long Anhui-Zhili war, the allies took Beijing and divided power in the City.
The Anhui survived, because no faction had the military capacity or will to fight a prolonged war. So boundaries kept changing,
but because the rulers of Beijing got international recognition, this was the main target.
Meanwhile, in the South Sun Yat-Sen fell out with his old ally, Lu Rongting, over his peace talks with the Zhili Clique.
So Sun raised and army and, during the subsequent Guangdong-Guangxi war, forced Lu out of Guangzhou and temporarily occupied Guangxi in mid-1921.
And, in Beijing, the Fengtian and Zhili Cliques, fell out with one another when the politicians installed by Zhang were removed from parliament.
So, Zhang, now with Japanese support, tried to take Beijing in April 1922, but failed and Caos Zhili Clique achieved complete control of the capital.
Cao tried, but failed to make peace with Sun Yat-Sen. So he encouraged one of Sun’s Generals, Chen Jiongming, to switch sides and chase Sun out of China.
Chen however was toppled by Tang Jiyao a year later, keeping the South under KMT control.
The KMT, who had been receiving aid from Japanese groups, then began receiving aid from the Soviet Union and formed the First United Front alongside the small Communist Party of China.
Cao meanwhile, had support from the West and made a new Constitution, but, in 1924, Zhang attacked again.
Zhang's now well-funded armies overwhelmed the Zhili, but before he could take Beijing, one of Cao’s Generals, Feng Yuxian, seized power in a coup.
Feng ended the war and agreed to make Duan President again. Plus, as a Christian and socialist, he was sympathetic to the KMT, but Sun Yat-Sen died before any unification agreements could be made.
Then in November 1925 Feng persuaded a Manchurian General to switch allegiances, so Zhang responded by invading again.
The Zhili Clique had divided by this point between Sun Chuanfang and Wu Peifu. But Wu agreed to help Zhang take Beijing in early 1926 and drove Feng West.
But the warlords wars had damaged the economy and many sold opium and raised taxes to fund their wars and lavish lifestyles.
So many joined the Communists and KMT and the KMT found found a new ally, Li Zongren in Guangxi.
But, since Sun Yat-Sen's death the KMT was divided and it were only able to go on the offensive after Chiang Kai Shek took power in a coup.