Regarding the Beiyang warlords, it is generally believed that it originated from Yuan Shikai's small station training, and later formed a political and military group, ending in 1928 when Zhang Xueliang changed banners in the northeast.
From the perspective of rise and fall, the history of Beiyang warlords can be divided into four stages.
Formation stage: Yuan Shikai's small station training in 1895 to 1912 before Yuan Shikai seized power.
Development stage: Yuan Shikai seized power in 1912 until Yuan Shikai died in June 1916.
Decline stage: from Yuan's death in June 1916 to July 1926 before the start of the Northern Expedition.
Solitary extinction stage: From the beginning of the Northern Expedition in July 1926 to the northeast of Zhang Xueliang in 1928.
As for its characteristics, the academic community has expressed it differently. But it is generally admitted: it has an army and territory, and it surrenders to imperialism externally and rules internally. However, there are big differences in the academic community about its financial and economic foundations.
Regarding the nature of the Beiyang warlords, there are two different views in academic circles: one is that they are the first people of the feudal landlord class and the armed forces of the big landlord and comprador class. Second, it is believed that it is mainly based on the feudal landlord class, and it has bourgeois overtones.
Because with the development of modern industry, the profits of industry greatly exceeded the income from the exploitation of land rent, thus attracting warlords to invest in industry;The warlords obtained profits from land rent and investment through land extraction, and engaged in usury exploitation, and the three types of funds were transformed into each other and increased in value to each other, so that this group of people became an important part of the landlord class, and at a certain time entered the ranks of the bourgeoisie, with certain bourgeois colors.