Chinese civil war

Shanghai Massacre

12th April 1927
Massacre of Communists - CCP members
broke the first united front
Triggered the Chinese civil war

Developments 1900-1918

increasingly weak ruling by the Manchu Qing dynasty
Men forced to wear specific hair style as a mark of submission
Chinas weakness exploited by European powers
Traditional society and underdeveloped economy
Defeated by Japan during war

Boxer Rebellion

1900
reaction against humiliation faced by foreign influence, further humiliated by joint European military action to crush rebellion

Weakness of Manchu Qing dynasty

Obvious discontent
Emperor was living in forbidden city isolated from people
Emperor out of touch
Qing made little improvements to China
Resentment of the Opium wars and foreign humiliation faced

1911 revolution

1905 Sun created Chinas united league
discontent led to revolution led by Sun Yat Sen
Sun emerged as leader and president
- New ideology mirrored French revolution
-Three principles of: Nationalism, Social welfare and Liberalism
- Pushed for a more western type of rule
Republic declared on 1st of Jan 1912

Yuan Shikai

Real power in China under Sun rule
Yuan created a military dictatorship by 1914
Sun accepted a period of military dictatorship and that it might precede a full constitutional democracy
tried to bring reforms through military regimes

Warlordism

1916 marked beginning of chaotic and violent period of warlordism
China disintegrated into regional regimes headed by local army commanders, warlords
China became deeply divided

The Fourth of May Movement

Major resentment sparked by German concessions being given to Japan
China faced humiliation after Sino-Japanese war and demands
Sparked the Fourth of May movement
- Highlighted the need for change and reform
- Break away from Confucianism, regional divisions, weak central government, low economic growth
(GMD was the weak gov)

CCP establishment

Established 1921 as a result of Comintern
1911 revolution opened China up to different ideas
Communism grew rapidly as a result of ToV and 4/5 mov.

First United Front

1924 and was an alliance against warlordism
Ideological divide created tension
Ability of Mao to emerge out of a small group
- Developed power early on
- Displayed a certain charisma that resonated with the peasants and evidently majorly threatened Jiang
- Simplified marxism to peasants

Death of Sun Yat Sen

1925 and Jiang Jieshi emerged as leader
Saw the CCP as a tremendous threat to the GMD
'Communism is a disease of the heart, the Japanese are but a disease of the skin'

Northern expedition

1926 Alliance against the Warlords in the north
Campaign was successful but GMD grew more divided
Jiang felt threatened by the CCP success in the North and therefore began the attack on communism

The Shanghai massacre

Imediate cause
Jiang turns on the communist and breaks the First united front by massacring CCP members in Shanghai
Marks onset of Chinese civil war

Communist survival

Small effective groups - survive persecutions without key leaders killed
communism was powerful with peasants
Japanese invasion made Jiang focus on Japan not CCP
China was huge
CCP willingness to accept loss of life

Why the Civil war resumed

Ideological divide between nationalists and communists had become too great for any real compromise
Resuming the CHCW was arguably inevitable
Resummed with the breaking if the Second United Front

Main practices begining of war

Hard to categorise due to long lasting war
Initially hard for CCP to withstand GMD
- GMD leaders saw attack on CCP as an extension of attack on warlords
- Jiang and generals had immense desire to eliminate communism
- Little concern for civilian casualties

Main practices after 1935

Communists gathered more resources and formed their own stronghold
- Nationalists still had stronger airpower, artillery and men
- Irregular and unconventional warfare was more advantageous

Main practices after 1945

CCP acquired a much greater supply of weapons, gain in experience
- Nationalists failed to gain support in same way as communists
- Propaganda and skille political appelas
- No amount of US aid would give nationalist victory

Encirclement campaigns

1930-1934 Jiang launched five major campaigns against Jiangxi soviet(Communist area)
- Communist advantage of home ground
- Communists used guerilla warfare
Early on Jiang was distracted by Japan invasion
1+2 was communist success
3rd had greater impact on Communist but GMD still lost
4+5 situation changed
- Jiang built blockhouses which was stronger than any communist defences
- Nationalist forces weakened the communists

Technology and tactics

Jiang brought a significant amount of men into the war
GMD numerically superior to CCP in the beginning of the war
5th campaign detrimental to communists, lost many irreplaceable men
Jiang received military aid and advice from Nazi Germany
Communists astutely used land of China and movement to escape nationalist forces

Long March

Most celebrated part of CCW
Withdrawal of Mao and first red army from Jiangxi to Yan'an
16th of October 1934 - 19th of October 1935
- large loss of people
Mao leadership established in Yan'an soviet
Immense propaganda around Long March
- Conveyed Mao as dynamism leader and looked at as heroic
-'Legend of the Long March
Faced Snowy mountains
Heroic Passage
Made it to Shaanxi- 6000 survioers

Success of the Long March

Heroic image of communists
Jiang unable to take base in Shaanxi
- Still long way away from Victory
- Deep division between Mao and Zhang
External factors saved communists
- 1936 Jiang kidnapped by Zhang and forced to a Second united front against the Japanese
- Massive Japanese invasion
- War however did not prevent further attacks on communists
After battle with Japan war could continue

Autumn 1946

Nationalist forced held major cities in Manchuria and forced communists to defend themself against much larger numbers
- Jiang received aid from the US
- Mao lacked air power and tanks
- Despite technological superiority of the GMD, not able to defeat CCP
GMD faced internal problems
- Inflation rising
- support from property and business class dwindling
- Everything depended on military success

1947

Nationalist attacks increase, but communists had strategic retreats and mobile attacks
Nationalists lost half their territory in Manchuria due to concentrated forces
- morale was dropping
Jiang failed to see danger so large forces were cut off
In Shandong, flexible attacks, surprise attacks and the use of guerilla warfare hindered nationalist advance on city of Linyi
Mao said 'Our policy is to keep the enemy on the run to tire him out, to reduce his food supply and then look of the opportunity to destroy him'

Autumn 1947

CCP General Lin Biao had 300 000 well equipped soldiers in Manchuria
Communists had seized Japanese equipment and weapons
- Nationalists had weakened their force by concentrating on Manchuria

1948

Communists had the upper hand, Jiang's forced dangerously spread
- Communists still outnumbered but stronger and more villing forces
- First half CCP success northern China and Manchuria

Battle of Kaifeng

Kaifeng in Henan
- May 1948 and was a turningpoint
- City fell to the communists
- Jiang tried to retake, ended up in CCP retreat, but Nationalists had their forces significantly weakened
Battlers were not in GMD territory
GMD continued to face major losses

Battle of Huaihai

Largest battle fought in China during 20th century
Tipped the scale communists were now 1.6 million
- Only a matter of time before GMD defeat
- Tianjin January
-Nanjin, Shanghai May
- Chongqing in September
- Guangzhou October
October 1st Mao Zedong declared Chairman of the People Republic of China

Technology and Tactics

Jiang had greater technological power
- yet lost the war
- Air superiority did not play a major role compared to in the Spanish Civil War
- Guerilla warfare and greater ideological commitment and popular support proved more important than technology
Decisive element, CCP change from defensive to sustained offensive
- Population sympathetic to CCP
- Mao had flexible tactics

Guerilla warfare

Needed for CCP to avoid pitched battles
relied on movement
Winning over civilian population
Guerilla forces avoided major battles
- often met with consequences on civilian population being suspected, 2 million killed
Successes from ability ti establish bases in remote areas
CCP gained equipment abandoned by Japan in Manchuria
-'Low tech war'

Mobalisation of resources

GMD larger forces
- Dependent on forced military service
- Poorly paid
- Hash conditions
- Low concern for Morale
- Dependent on US aid
- Inflation + discontent
Communists able to make use of captured Japanese resources

Propaganda

Major aspect
Portrayed communists as heroic and self sacrificing
- Mao true patriot
-'Chinese do not fight Chinese'
- Differentiated himself from Jiang
'Legend of the Long march'
Yan'an and six principles
- Cult of Mao developed
- Simple language 'learn from the peasants
-Advocated land reforms

Women

'Women hold up half the sky' Mao
Personal life did not show concern for women
Public statements emphasised equality
- Played role in war effort

Foreign intervention

Remarkably little foreign intervention
- Japanese invasion major effect- Jiang had to abandon battles
- US aided supplies, money and equipment
- USSR did little for CCP