Yuan Shikai

Yuan Shikai (1859–1916) was a Chinese military and political leader who became president of the Republic of China and briefly declared himself emperor.

Huai Army: A late Qing regional army organized by Li Hongzhang and recruited mainly in Anhui. Yuan advanced through the military networks and regional forces that shaped Qing politics.
Beiyang Army: A modernized Qing army whose commanders became powerful political actors in early Republican China. Yuan's control of this force made his political leverage tangible.
Xinhai Revolution: The 1911 revolution that toppled the Qing dynasty and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. Yuan negotiated the dynasty's exit while positioning himself to lead the new state.
Warlord Era: A period of fragmented military rule in China, generally dated from 1916 to the late 1920s. Yuan's death accelerated the breakup of the Beiyang political and military coalition.
New Army: Modernized military forces established by the Qing dynasty in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Command of the Beiyang New Army gave Yuan the force behind his political ascent.
Beiyang Government: The central government of the Republic of China based in Beijing from 1912 to 1928. Yuan dominated this government as president and concentrated authority in the executive.
Qing dynasty abdication: The 1912 transfer of power in which the Qing court formally ended imperial rule in China. Yuan helped secure abdication in exchange for becoming president of the republic.
Chinese Civil War: A prolonged conflict between Chinese political and military forces, conventionally dated from 1927 to 1949. The later struggle emerged from a republic whose central authority had remained contested.
Self-Strengthening Movement: A Qing reform program that adopted Western military and industrial methods while preserving imperial institutions. Its military reforms helped create the institutions Yuan used to build power.
Tongmenghui: A revolutionary organization founded in 1905 to overthrow the Qing dynasty and establish a republic. Negotiations with its leaders helped Yuan secure the presidency after the revolution.

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