| This dissertation is the first full-length study of China and the First World War, a subject which has not been adequately studied until now. No book in any language deals with the subject from the broader perspective of international history. No existing scholarship communicates a sense of China's strong desire to join the international system and to help bring about a new world order through its interaction with the European War.; This study addresses these historiographical gaps by examining how the coming of the First World War affected China's approach to world affairs, how China identified itself in the international arena, how it perceived the international system, and how the great powers accommodated China's ambitions. Based on previously unexamined primary sources from archives in mainland China, Taiwan, Britain, France, Germany and the United States, this study analyzes how China used the occasion of the First World War to try to join the international system. My research reveals that the war not only provided an opportunity for the Chinese to explore a new national identity, but more importantly, gave momentum to China's search for a new niche in the international family. The importance of the era is also reflected in the unique combination of political nationalism, cultural iconoclasm and diplomatic internationalism found in China's approach to international affairs. More importantly, public opinion during the period under consideration played an important role in defining China's destiny, in particular, with respect to foreign policy and national identity. By providing a detailed examination of China's response to the Great War and by exploring the causes of Chinese idealism or romanticism, this dissertation further reveals that the era of the First World War was an age of innocence for China. This innocence explains why China experienced so many twists and turns in its relations with the world during the war and the remainder of the century.; By using an international history approach, this dissertation suggests a new direction to take in explaining the interaction between China and the war. Unlike traditional diplomatic history, international history goes beyond the national level of analysis and treats the entire world as a framework of study. Furthermore, international relations are seen as interactions among cultural systems. Using this approach, my study explores the relationship between an international power system and cultural outlook, between nationalism and internationalism, between national dreams and collective disappointments, and emphasizes communication within and among nations. Such an international history approach allows me to base my analysis of China's response to the First World War on examining the neglected intellectual foundations of Chinese diplomacy. It also enables me to understand how China was affected by the world order as a whole, and at the same time contributed to defining it; in addition, such an approach reveals how Chinese domestic politics and international affairs were interconnected. |
