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On October 10, 1911, while Sun Yat-sen was in the United States, revolutionaries in [[Hankou]] staged a tentative revolt, known as the [[Wuchang Uprising]], when unexpectedly imperial units joined them. Suddenly all of China realized the incompetent and unpopular Qing dynasty was rapidly collapsing.  Sun Yat-sen returned to a hero's welcome and was immediately appointed provisional president of the new Chinese Republic. However he was never good at political bargaining and feared the power of imperial army's norther commander [[Yuan Shih-kai]]. In return for Yuan's support of the revolution and Yuan's orcestration of the Emperors abdication Sun Yat-sen resigned the office of President in Yüan's favor and took a planning post in which he formulated ambitious programs for rail and industrial development. Sun remained leader or the KMT party which held majority control in the new government. China's new republican leaders bickered endlessly and Yuan—who wanted the imperial throne himself—bypassed the constitution, granting himself additional powers and used force (and international financial aid) to crush liberal parliamentarianism. Sun tried to oust Yuan by fermenting a [[Chinese Second Revolution|second revolution]] in 1913. It failed and Sun again fled to Japan, along with other KMT party members, where his fortunes were at their nadir for years.

On October 10, 1911, while Sun Yat-sen was in the United States, revolutionaries in [[Hankou]] staged a tentative revolt, known as the [[Wuchang Uprising]], when unexpectedly imperial units joined them. Suddenly all of China realized the incompetent and unpopular Qing dynasty was rapidly collapsing.  Sun Yat-sen returned to a hero's welcome and was immediately appointed provisional president of the new Chinese Republic. However he was never good at political bargaining and feared the power of imperial army's norther commander [[Yuan Shih-kai]]. In return for Yuan's support of the revolution and Yuan's orcestration of the Emperors abdication Sun Yat-sen resigned the office of President in Yüan's favor and took a planning post in which he formulated ambitious programs for rail and industrial development. Sun remained leader or the KMT party which held majority control in the new government. China's new republican leaders bickered endlessly and Yuan—who wanted the imperial throne himself—bypassed the constitution, granting himself additional powers and used force (and international financial aid) to crush liberal parliamentarianism. Sun tried to oust Yuan by fermenting a [[Chinese Second Revolution|second revolution]] in 1913. It failed and Sun again fled to Japan, along with other KMT party members, where his fortunes were at their nadir for years.

Yuan Shi-kai died suddenly in 1916, and power fell to local military leaders who made themselves regional war lords. China had no effective national government from 1916 to 1927. Sun Yat-sen tried to collaborate with Chen Chiungming, the war lord in Guangzhou, seeking a new base of power there. Sun was ambivalent toward the student-led [[May Fouth Movement]] of 1919.  Sun's return to China in 1919 and the re-assumption of revolutionary activities found him somewhat outdated. Youthful radicals no longer flocked to him, and some of his ideas were antiquated. Sun recognized the need for adjustments and a solid basis of support. Therefore, he added his own ideas to those of the May Fourth Movement and borrowed from the movement in return.  As a result, his attacks on the [[Versailles Treaty]] gained attention, and Sun's denunciation of Western imperialism as the cause of China's malaise was widely accepted and gradually Sun regained stature as spokesman of the new Chinese nationalism that moved students, professionals and cosmopolitan Chinese in the coastal cities.  

Yuan Shi-kai died suddenly in 1916, and power fell to local military leaders who made themselves regional war lords. China had no effective national government from 1916 to 1927. Sun Yat-sen tried to collaborate with Chen Chiungming, the war lord in Guangzhou, seeking a new base of power there. Sun was ambivalent toward the student-led [[May Fouth Movement]] of 1919.  Sun's return to China in 1919 and the re-assumption of revolutionary activities found him somewhat outdated. Youthful radicals no longer flocked to him, and some of his ideas were antiquated. Sun recognized the need for adjustments and a solid basis of support. Therefore, he added his own ideas to those of the May Fourth Movement and borrowed from the movement in return.  As a result, his attacks on the [[Versailles Treaty]] gained attention, and Sun's denunciation of Western imperialism as the cause of China's malaise was widely accepted and gradually Sun regained stature as spokesman of the new Chinese nationalism that moved students, professionals and [[cosmopolitan]] Chinese in the coastal cities.  

In 1922, failing to outmaneuver the Guangzhou militarists, Sun fled to Shanghai. There he met the [[Comintern]] agent Adolf A. Joffe, who had been sent by [[Lenin]] to seek possible allies for Soviet policy. They reached an understanding in 1923 whereby Sun Yat-sen received Soviet support for a [[First United Front|United Front]] between his nationalist Kuomintang of China party and the Communist Party of China. However, Sun did not endorse Communism.  Soviet agent Mikhail Borodin helped reorganize the KMT on the lines of "[[democratic centralism]]" familiar in Communist parties, with leadership securely in the hands of a small group.  Fighting forces were equipped and trained, and Chinese Communists—who were encouraged to joined the Kuomintang as part of the United Front agreement—did their part in propaganda and organization to prepare for the military drive by KMT's army leader  [[Chiang Kai-shek]] that was to make a [[Northern Expedition]] drive out the warlords.  Late in 1924 Sun travelled to North China for a last effort at negotiation with the Beiyang warlord's government which had acquired some international recognition. However Sun Yat-sen became ill and died in Beijing on March 12, 1925.

In 1922, failing to outmaneuver the Guangzhou militarists, Sun fled to Shanghai. There he met the [[Comintern]] agent Adolf A. Joffe, who had been sent by [[Lenin]] to seek possible allies for Soviet policy. They reached an understanding in 1923 whereby Sun Yat-sen received Soviet support for a [[First United Front|United Front]] between his nationalist Kuomintang of China party and the Communist Party of China. However, Sun did not endorse Communism.  Soviet agent Mikhail Borodin helped reorganize the KMT on the lines of "[[democratic centralism]]" familiar in Communist parties, with leadership securely in the hands of a small group.  Fighting forces were equipped and trained, and Chinese Communists—who were encouraged to joined the Kuomintang as part of the United Front agreement—did their part in propaganda and organization to prepare for the military drive by KMT's army leader  [[Chiang Kai-shek]] that was to make a [[Northern Expedition]] drive out the warlords.  Late in 1924 Sun travelled to North China for a last effort at negotiation with the Beiyang warlord's government which had acquired some international recognition. However Sun Yat-sen became ill and died in Beijing on March 12, 1925.