On this day in 1919 protests lead by Chinese students erupted over the anemic response of the Chinese government to provisions in the Versailles Treaty which gave German colonies in China to Japan.
The build up to this had been going on for years, as the Japanese government, following the Meiji Restoration, had become increasingly aggressive on the Asian mainland. Prior to that, after experimenting with an attempted invasion of Korea in 1592-93, and again in 1597, Japan had retreated into isolationism before the encounter with American Admiral Perry.
The Meiji regime had defeated the Chinese to the world's surprise in the First Sino Japanese War, which resulted in Korea being freed from Chinese control but not to the immediate benefit of Japan, which none the less obtained world power status as a result of the war. The disappointing territorial result, which had benefited Imperial Russia directly, soon resulted in the Russo Japanese War, which resulted in Japan having a foothold on the mainland itself and Korea had been converted into a Japanese colony. World War One had given the Japanese an excuse to expand its colonial presence in Asia and the Pacific and during the war it had made demands upon China which caused huge Chinese resentment. The Chinese government had resisted those demands but took a position of accord with Japan that expressed itself in a willingness to acquiesce to post war Japanese demands at the Paris Peace Conference. The Chinese people, however, were not so willing to endure such demands.
The protests are widely regarded by the Chinese Communist party as the birth of their party, and not without reason. Many of the adherents of the May 4 Movement did become communists and many of the opponents of Chinese communism also opposed the May 4th Movement on the basis that they felt it turned its back on Chinese values and culture.
Of course, it being a Sunday, dramatic movie releases were in the offering.
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