IB History Chinese Civil War

Contextualization

1900: China is VERY weak, dominated by Europe, defeated by Japan (1895)

- had not modernized (unlike Japan)

Revolution of 1911: Overthrow Qing Dynasty/monarchy -> establish military dictatorship + rule by warlords

Treaty of Versailles: lose German-occupied territory of Shandong to Japan

The Fourth of May Movement (1919)

Anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement growing out of student demonstrations in Beijing

- response to Treaty of Versailles

Nationalists and communists emerge as possible agents of change (GMD and CCP)

Boxer Rebellion (1900)

Anti-colonial movement, demand for self-determination

Civilian rebellion against foreign influence in China

Showed the glaring weaknesses of the Qing (AKA Manchu) Dynasty; inability to deal w/ internal unrest + domination of European powers

Long-Term Causes of the War

Weakness of Qing Dynasty

-> exposed by Sino-Japanese War (1894 - 1895) & Boxer Rebellion

Many points of conflict

- small # of pple wanted to adopt western-style gov

- discontent in army

- long history of rural unrest

- landowners + traders discontent w/ monarchy

-> 1911 revolution led by Army

Formation of Republic (1912)

Formation of Republic and the GuoMingDang (GMD/KMT)

Sun Yat-sen formed a republic, no clear separation b/w army and gov

Guomingdang: tries to offer a unified gov (among many provinces ruled by warlords)

- warlords refuse to give up power

- Sun Yat-sen -> exile, Chiang Kai-shek takes over

- nationalists/communists working together at this

Russian Involvement in China

- Both ruled by autocratic dictators (Manchus/Tsars)

- rulers overthrown by revolution

- both have large territory BUT relatively backwards compared to the west

- Soviet adviser Borodin helped GMD organise

its party along Soviet lines + Russia advised the small CCP to co-operate

with the larger revolutionary group

- 1923 - 1927: Chinese communists + nationalists work together to overthrow the warlords

Growth of CCP

Inspired by Russian revolution + discontent from treaty of Versailles

- New Youth Magazine: advocate for communism, trying to get to the kids

- rise of Chen Duxu

- initially, didn't catch on in industrial areas + unable to organize worker's strikes

- BUT 1924 -> 1927, grows to 58k communists (caused by weak society + propaganda)

- grew by association w/ GMD + peasant associations in rural areas

Chen Duxu

Adapts communism for agrarian society (in theory, meant for industrialized society)

- forms 1st CCP in 1920

- Throws out the anarchists

-> Created an ideological cohesiveness (communists in Spanish civil war lacked this)

- Receive help from Comintern

1926 Northern Expedition

by the GMD, led by Chiang Kai-Shek (had near total control of army). to unify china and end the Warlord era

- communists + nationalists work together to defeat warlords

Chiang Kai-shek / Jiang Jieshi's attack on communism

Saw communism as alien ideology, antithetical to military values

- goes against Chinese values of hard work

- didn't want peasants challenging him -> got help from landowners + army

The Shanghai Massacre

The violent suppression of Communist Party organizations in Shanghai by the military forces on April 12, 1927. AKA "Purge of April 12th".

- Jiang had made deals with warlord gang "The Green Gang" (against communist influence in trade unions)

- Communists order a strike in SUPPORT of Jiang (believed he was still in support of the left)

- Green Gang boss "Big Ears" Du attacks communists ; 5-10k communists killed

RESULT: no common ground b/w nationalists & communists, each group hardened their positions; Began the civil war

Communist Survival + Resistance 1927 - 1937

- Organize into smaller units (flexibility, able to survive persecution)

- Jiang opposed by leftists w/in GMD -> retires -> tries to return, lost a lot of support

- China = very large; communists hide in wilderness/mountains -> Long March

- Under Mao, were well-disciplined, willing to die, ideology = empowerment

-> VS. Nationalists exert will by force

What was the nature of the Chinese Civil War

- initially, struggle of minority party vs. army/gov

- army saw attacks on communists as extension of war on warlords

- Jiang/generals killed any communists (even civilians -> not a good image)

- Nationalists had more air power, manpower, artillery

Why did the war swing in the communists' favor after 1945?

- got war supplies from retreating Japanese

- effective use of guerilla warfare

- use propaganda to get people on their side (iconography from long march)

Encirclement Campaigns

1930 - 1934

Jiang launches 5 major campaigns against communist areas

- BUT nationalists got further and further away from main bases of support

-> Built blockhouses

o Stronger than communist defenses, gave troops a defensive base of operations

o Conscripts/draftees = more confident

- Jiang brought warlords into war

o ~1 million more guys

- Nationalists get victories over communists -> war of attrition

- Communists abandon Jiangxi area and begin the long march

Communist strategy/fighting tactics

o guerilla warfare, avoid direct confrontation, mobile campaigns

o NO decisive victories OR defeats (death by 1000 cuts)

Long March

1934-1935, Red Army retreat from Jiangxi to Yan'an (3 armies, do not relink until 1936)

Long March: Beginning (October 1934)

- Start with 86K people

- Bring typewriters and printing press with them (HEAVY, showed importance of propaganda)

o Found gap in nationalist forces and crossed the Xiang River

o Many lives lost

- Local warlord in Guizhou allowed Red Army to pass through

o Down to 30K people

- Mao "makes his bones" when his army took Zuyi after advancing 200 miles

Long March: Yangtze River and Red River

Need to move north, crossed the Yangtze River BUT strong nationalist position at Chishui, Mao failed to defeat this force

Mao forced to cross Red River BUT

o Turned back to Guizhou

o -> nationalists were confused

o -> Crossed Jinsha River

o -> Angered Lin Biao (other communist leader, fighting for power)

- Mao was not always in the right when it came to Long March tactics BUT propaganda would suggest the opposite

Long March: Dadu River

Crossed suspension bridge at Dadu River

o Not great if you have printing presses and typewriters

o Propaganda portrays this as SUPERHUMAN feat but

o Reality: Communists had superior machine guns and going against poorly armed warlord troops

Long March: Going through Mountains

Mao in snowy mountains now, presented with choices:

o WEST: Caravan route, but would put him in territory of hostile Tibetans

o EAST: exposed to attacks by Jiang's forces

o Mao goes through mountains (elevation: 14K feet)

Long March: Mao and Zhang move North

o Combine forces with Zhang, close to RUSSIAN territory -> hoping they could receive supplies from Outer Mongolia

o Had to go through deadly marshes and bogs

-> HUNDREDS die

-> Zhang is mad and the two forces separate

End of Long March

- Last major obstacle

o Lazikous pass - heavily defended by nationalist blockhouses

- Mao hid in mountains and attacked nationalist forces with grenades

- Mao's army rested in Shanxi, only 6,000 followers

Success of/Effect of Long March for Communists

- HEROIC image of Mao/Communists

- Gave them base in Shanxi that Jiang was unable to take

- Rift develops b/w Mao and Zhang

External factors that may have contributed to success of Long March

o Jiang tried to get warlord support BUT warlords more concerned w/ Japan

o Nationalists equip communists forces w/ weapons to fight Japanese

o 1937: Japanese invasion relieved pressure on Communists

- Jiang = more focused on ideology than Japanese invasion

- Nationalists and communists fought e/o sporadically throughout Japanese occupation during WWII

Why did the Civil War resume after WWII?

- US tried to negotiate a peace, did not work

- Jiang wanted to use #'s superiority against communists to destroy them

o Try to get aid from US, limited

- 1945: Mao has army of 900K, maybe 2 million (militias - not very organized)

- Communists attack on Manchuria (1946) -> war enters final phase

- Persisting ideological divide, No room for compromise thanks to Shanghai Massacre 1927

The state of the nationalists after 1945

- Autumn 1945: nationalists hold Manchuria

o Thought they had driven communists out of central China

- Nationalists lose half territory in Manchuria in 1947

- Jiang's forces CUT OFF from e/o BUT refuse to pull out of Manchuria

- Nationalists lines are OVER extended

o Too much focus on Manchuria

o Communists wage counter attacks, re-take Shaanxi

o Communists use of strategic retreats -> nationalists chase after and move further from centers

Problems with the nationalist government after 1945

o Inflation: property classes and businesses elites losing support

o Need some military victories BUT struggling

The state of the communists after 1945

- Communists implement strategic retreats

- Shangdong -> communist victory (surprise attacks + guerilla tactics)

- 1948: communists have upper hand

o Jiang's forces dangerously spread out

o Stronger, more motivated force of communists

- Communists take much of N. China and Manchuria

- Utilize propaganda + mobilize 2M peasants

Battle of Kaifeng

o 1st major open battle by communists

o Take city in June 1948

o Battle won by nationalists but losses so high

o Many desertions, Nationalists unmotivated to fight communists

Battle of Huaihai (Nov. 1948)

Largest fought in China

o Communist commander Chen Yi encircles and destroys the nationalist forces

o 600k nationalist losses

Other cities begin to fall to communists, nationalists unwilling to fight a losing war

How did technology and tactics influence the civil war?

Side with greater tech + resources did NOT win

o Counter to the way history usually "acts"

o Person w/ most stuff usually when unless guerilla tactics are used effectively (ex: Vietnam war, American revolution, Chinese Civil War)

o Very few tank battles (unlike WWII)

o Nationalists had air superiority (not a decisive factor unlike SCW)

o -> Planes bomb trees (lack of industry) vs. in Guernica, planes bomb people / industrial targets

o Leftists are united (unlike SCW)

o "use of mobile tactics, guerilla warfare, and greater ideological commitment and popular support proved to be important"

Guerilla Warfare

Communists forced to be mobile

o Large countryside

o Enlist help of peasants while in exile (Long March)

o Successfully avoided major battles

o "annoy" the enemy w/ small light attacks

-> Forced diversion of resources to fight mobile, ever running units

- Ideological war not geographic war, no specific territory they're targeting

- Guerilla units made up of local pop who know the area & can find weak points

o Psychological warfare: enemy live in fear of sudden attacks

How did the nationalists alienate themselves from the people?

Began to seek reprisal from civilian population suspected of harboring communists

o Effect: further alienates population to nationalists

o Loss of moral high ground

o Nationalists would level the entire village

- Late 1940s: nationalist forces were tying soldiers together to keep them from deserting

o things aren't going well

Nationalists would force the peasant population to care for them

o Communist forces treated peasants with respect + recruited them

Foreign Interference: Japan

Japanese invasion did halt hostilities

o Nationalists had to fight Japanese while communists were able to hide out in the country

Foreign Interference: US

- US tries to negotiate peace with both sides in 1945

o Did NOT work

o Shanghai Massacre

o Contrast: 1950 US, would not try to negotiate peace with communists

- US gave money and support to Jiang's forces

o Money, supplies, and equipment

o No DIRECT military assistance

o After 1948, very little material support (throwing money down a rat hole, nationalists getting very weak)

o US more concerned about Europe than China

Mao's strategy after 1945

- Nationalist adopted a strategy -> mostly defensive to sustain their offensive

- Drew nationalists away from their bases of support (use strategic retreats)

- Pple of China, sympathetic to communist cause

- Mao found gaps in nationalist defenses + exploited them

- Willing fighters, unlike conscripts for nationalists

o True believers = more motivated + stronger fighters

Foreign Interference: Stalin

o Did very little for communist cause in China

o Did not trust Chinese communists

o Didn't like helping people out if it meant he wasn't in charge

- Relative to Spanish Civil War, very little foreign interference overall; not as instrumental

Role of Propaganda

- Long march -> depict communists as heroic, dauntless, & self-sacrificing

- Mao = true patriot

- Communists propaganda portrayed Jiang as being controlled by Americans

o Chinese don't want white domination

- Mao's writing = "Required reading"

- Mao develops CULT OF PERSONALITY based on Stalin's methods

o Mao is the state, unquestioned allegiance

o Connect: Khrushchev's secret speech denounced cult of personality, hurt mao's cult of personality

- GMD failed to come up with propaganda campaign

o As ruling party -> was blamed for Japanese invasion

o Mistreated Chinese people

Women during the war

- In official party dogma, women were respected as ones who "hold up half the sky"

- Women involved in Long March as companions to men (35%)

- Communist propaganda, highlighted women's roles

o Liu Hulan: forced to watch comrades die before being killed herself -> seen as great leader

o Late 20th c. women were 40% of the workforce

20% of parliament

Economic Changes: Five Year Plans

- Redistribution of land = significant economic revolution

- 1953: Five Year Plans

o Peasants placed in collectivized farms

o Unsatisfactory production resulted in Great Leap Forward

Political Consequences of the war for China

- China divided; Jiang flees to Taiwan (recognized as China until 1972 (Nixon recognizes Mao's gov))

- Mao transformed communism from being about workers to being about agricultural peasants

o Communism does not take hold in many industrialized countries

o Mao needed unfettered support -> repressive regime in China, continues to this day

Economic Changes: Great Leap Forward (1958)

- New economic units to link urban w/ rural areas

- Massive expansion of agriculture

o Peasants forced to work on land

- Increase in steel production: backyard steel mills

o Requires knowledge + skill, needs to burn at very high temperatures

-Result: millions of deaths from famine, economic growth was significantly delayed / stopped

Social impacts of the Civil War

- Destroy power of the landowners

- Finance and industry = nationalized

- Edu = more easily available -> literacy rises

- Cultural revolution (1960s)

o Mao orders massive party purge

o Authorities purged

o Mobilized young people against the "Four Olds" (customs, culture, habits, ideas)

o Anything not Maoist in nature = old = bad

o Mao goes in and out of power during this time

Effect of Communism Victory on the Cold War

Heads exploded in the US -> affect foreign policy decisions

- Determined to defend Asia from communism

o Eisenhower's Domino Theory: communism in 1 country will cause the other countries in Asia to fall like dominos to communism

- US commits troops to Korean War (1950 - 53)

-> stalemate, starts & ends at 38th Parallel

- China feels threatened -> build up military for war w/ US

- China & Russia not a cohesive bloc - Americans see them as same thing

o Russians see China as a threat (large country w/ military near its borders, didn't care that they were communists as well)

Effects of Civil War on Asia

- India wary of Chinese influence; war breaks out in 1962

o If India allied w/ China -> VERY bad for west (India holds hatred of westerners + have a lot of resources / pple)

- Occupy Tibet in 1950

- Mao's success = blow to western style imperialism

- Inspires Ho Chi Minh's communist regime in Vietnam

- Maoist inspired conflicts throughout Asia: other developing countries see China's victory as inspiration

Effect of the Civil War: China's isolation on the world stage

- China isolated from much of world (for about 23 years)

o Mao established a communist dictatorship

o USSR not strong ally

o Border disputes with India alienated them as ally

o USA and rest of western world refused to recognize communist China