IB HL History - Chinese Civil War

Key facts for paper 2 questions

1946 Cold War Context

* General Marshall mediated a peace agreement between the KMT and CCP (The Marshall Plan) involving substantial demobilisation


* China was essential in the Domino Theory, scramble to secure spheres of influence, huge Cold War implications)

Demobilisation in the Marshall Plan

Disarmament ratio of 90 KMT divisions to 18 CCP divisions

KMT Advantage

* Start of the Civil War was Asymmetrical (1:3 ratio)
* US injected $3 billion into the KMT and provided airforce


* Strategic advantage: controlled all the major cities
* CCP had v limited soviet support bc they were cripled by war: symbolic rather than effective bc Stalin wanted to keep his options open due to odds not being in their favor (a symmetrical war)

CCP Advantage

* Had unity of purpose and command


* Charismatic Leadership (Lin Biao, Zhu De, and Peng Dehui)
* Propaganda: image projection of defenders of the nation - important to spirit and enthusiasm
* Public support (due to code of conduct)

PLA Structure

* Renamed Red Army to PLA: clever psychological move diluting fear of Red and separating them from being seen as an extension of Stalin
* Complied to a strict code of conduct emphasizing: impeccable discipline, behavior, respect for civilians and prisoners


* Mass line theory

CCP Advanced the idea of

Mass Line Theory: those in positions of authority consult those they lead - command must be directed by the tail aka tailism

Jack Belden on the KMT

* Basis of conscription was bribery and influence
* Officers considered it their right to beat soldiers
* Overall, the life of the ordinary soldier was j above a pig and j below a mule
* Throughout the Japanese and Civil Wars that followerd, this army was beaten continuously bc it had no soul (no purpose)

Edgar Snow on PLA

* The Red Army was so often the only side in a battle that believed it was fighting for something
* Their days involved education (literacy: learning chinese characters etc.) and games/sports
* Morale was maintained throughout the war in their daily routines

KMT Disadvantage

They were undermined by

* Low morale
* Malnutrition
* Poor leadership
* Lack of public support (v aggressive towards civilians)

therefore defections to the CCP were rampant

June 1946

Yenan successfully captured in KMT offensive

June 1946 implications

PLA persisted with with guerilla tactics that they perfected in WWII

PLA guerilla tactics

Laid siege to northern cities thus causing further demonisation of the KMT.

Their tactics harassed and disrupted KMT supply lines creating an effective domino effect to gain support

* This heavily increased inflation consequently increasing already present tensions between the people and the govt due to economic disparities -
* This built tension increased support for CCP
* KMT resorted to blue-shirt systematic purging which only led to more people turning to the Communists, bc they saw stability in the CCP

1947

Land reforms: practice what they preached to “win the hearts and minds of the pople”

Speak bitters: peoples courts to try lndlords guilty of abuse towards peaants (catharsis gave peasants their dignity back)

* Later suspended out of fear of losing support from CCP sympathetic landlords & richer peasants

Why did the KMT lose?

KMT Self-destruction

* Discipline was poort and civilians were abused
* Thousands died of starvation (contentious number however there are accounts of famine being a larger killer than war)
* Thousands died of lack of medical care, KMT officers treated their men as expendable (frivolous w lives, wounded abandoned)
* Morale was low and they had no cause to fight for (three principles ignored for over a decade by CKS corrupt dictatorship)

1948 Battles

Three decisive PLA Victories

1) Shenyang, Nov

2) Xuchow, Dec

3) Beijing, Jan ‘49

Chang Kai Shek

Fled to Taiwan and established a gov‘t in waiting once he consolidated power on the island, killing 50,000+

* Others who feared the CCP left China asw (wealthy people, seniors, gov‘t members etc.)

October 1st 1949

Proclamation of the Peoples Republic of China in Tianamen Square Beijing