In 1925, a wave of strikes and mass protests swept China, developing into a revolutionary upheaval that threatened imperialism and the rule of China’s warlords.

Workers formed unions, peasants challenged landlords, and Shanghai and Canton became centres of mass struggle. Yet in 1927, the revolution was crushed in a bloody counter-revolution. Why did this happen, and what role did the Communist Party’s alliance with the nationalist Kuomintang play in the defeat?

This session examines the revolution’s rise and tragic defeat, and its enduring lessons for revolutionary strategy.