Rocks rolling downhill: The continuity and progress of the Chinese revolution in the twentieth century

The 1911 Republican Revolution, the Nationalist Revolution, and the Communist Revolution were three interlinked phases in the progressive trajectory of the Chinese Revolution. Each left enough space to allow the next revolution to advance on the basis of the previous one. Much like rocks rolling down a high mountain, the Chinese Revolution gathered unstoppable momentum, increasing in speed and violence. The success of the previous revolution inspired the next one; the unaccomplished mission of the previous one was continued and realized by the next, with increased violence and higher revolutionary demands. All three revolutions successfully overthrew older regimes, yet none of the three were as successful at establishing new political institutions. The weaker revolutionary party, the Kuomintang during the Nationalist Revolution, had difficulty accomplishing the mission of nation building, while the stronger revolutionary party, the Chinese Communist Party, failed at political transformation after the revolution.