Chinese Civil War

West Meets China:

• In 1793, GB diplomat meets Chinese emperor. Tries to open trade and China is unaware of Europe’s superiority.

  • GB wanted silk/porcelain/tea

  • China told GB to “tremblingly obey them”.

• GB responds with:

  • 1st Opium War: GB’s India grew opium. China banned imports in 1799 because 12 million Chinese were addicted.

  • In 1838, 1.4k tons were smuggled illegally into China annually.

    • China imposed death penalty on smugglers

  • 1839-1842, GB kills 18k Chinese and captures Shanghai in retaliation.

• Treaty of Nanking: China pay GB, open trade, and give Hong Kong to GB.

• 2nd Opium War (1856-1860): GB/F invade China, kill 30k Chinese, burn/loot palace; legalize opium, force freedom of religion.

19th Century Rebellion

Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) Civil war that kills 20 million Chinese.

• Han Chinese hated the Manchu emperor that lost the Opium War.

• Led by Hong Xiuquan (who believed he was Jesus Christ’s brother), the rebellion aimed to overthrow the Qing dynasty and establish a theocratic kingdom.

• Ruled 30 million Han, tried to replace traditional culture with socialist Christianity.

• However, crushed by Manchus with the help of GB/F.

Boxer Rebellion (1898-1900): China declares war agaisnt foreigners.

• Empress supported “Boxers” (Kung Fu Chinese who thought they were invulnerable to bullets).

  • Believed if they meditated they wouldn’t be affected

• Held 3000 foreigners hostage for 55 days.

  • 8-nation western army of 20k saved them. Then, burned/raped/looted China and forced them to pay $330M ($61 Billion today)

1911 Revolution

• Led by Dr. Sun Yat Sen (founder of Kuonmintang) whose principles were nationalism/democracy. Angry about:

  • Manchu minority was ruling majority Han

  • Use of foreign aid (F/GB) during Taiping Rebellion

  • Being willfully technologically/politiclaly behind the west and Japan.

  • Severe losses in Opium/Boxer/Sino-Jap Wars

• Six year old Emperor Puyi was forced to abdicate ending 4,000 year dynastic gov’t

• Dr. Sun Yat-Sen was campaigning in the US when Gen Yuan Shikai forced abdication.

  • At first Dr. SYS was president but Shikai was a secrete dictator and crowned himself emperor in 1915.

    • Nobody pledge allegiance to him, and China was fractured. BUT, Dr. SYS did not give up on Chinese reunification.

War Lord Era

• After 1911 revolution, SE China supported Dr. SYS

  • General Shikai ruled North China and made Beijing the capital of his government.

  • After his death, China fractured into series of war states.

• May 4th Movement (After WWI): Japan received Germany’s territory in China (Tsing Tao)

  • China livid because it is Confucius’ birth place.

• Led to increase participation in anti-imperialist parties liek the Communist Chinese Party (CCP) and Kuomintang

• Dr. SYS formed the First United Front in 1924, a coalition between the CCP & KMT to dfeat northern war lords.

• DR. SYS died in 1925, leaving General Chiang Kai-Shek to man expedition north.

Ideologies of KMT/CCP

CCP - Mao Zedong:

• Classless society

• Peasant class=revolutionary

• Eridicate poverty with collective ownership

• Confucian values replaced with communism

• Abolish western influence

Kuomintang:

• Under Sun Yat-Sen:

  • Nationalism (Abolish western influence)

  • Democracy

  • Socialism

• Under Chiang Kai-Shek:

  • More nationalist

  • Emphasized capitalism

China is nationalistic because it was divided and Tsing Tao was given away.

Chinese liked the CCp more because warlords exploited the poor.

Northern Expedition

• United Front marched North.

  • Chiang Kai-Shek made Nanking China’s new capital after defeating region’s warlord.

  • White Terror of 1927: Leftist United Front members (Under USSR influence) tried to create a capital in Wuhan and assasinate Chiang Kai-Shek

    • Capitalists kill communists

    • Response: Purged entire cCP from United Front

    • By 1928, 300k CCP killed by KMT. Civil war begins. After purge, KMT successfully topled Shikai’s government.

• China finally unified in 1928 wehn Manchurian Warlord Zhang Xueliang pledge allegiance to KMT.

Long March

• CCP could no longer live in cities because KMT had secret police.

  • Regrouped in rural southeast China and used guerilla tactics.

  • Eventually, Mao established the Jiangxi soviet with army of 130k.

• 1933: KMT encircled Jiangxi with 500k people as part of the army.

• In 1934, Mao/followers traversed 6000 miles over a year to Shaanxi.

  • Of 86k who escaped Jiangxi, only 8000 made it to Shaanxi.

• In 1935, the CCP membership dropped from 300k to 40k.

Communist Resurgence

• In Shaanxi, Long March survivors joined with 22k CCP members. Hear of China’s communist revolution.

  • From 1935 onwards, the movement grew rapidly.

• KMT faced two obstacles:

  • Commies in NW

  • Japan’s seizure of Manchuria via Muken Inciden (false flag)

    • Renamed Manchukuo in 1932.

• Initial KMT Strategy:

  • Defeat internal enemies (Warlords/CCP)

  • Then deal with Japan

Xi’an Incident

• Turning Point: CKS commanded Zhang Xueliang to extinguish the CCP in Shaanxi

  • BUT Zhang was anti-Japanese

• In 1936, CKS visited Shaanxi. However, Zhang kidnapped CKS and forced a truce with CCP.

• Mao and CKS honored truce ultil Japan was defeated.

  • USA/USSR/GB/F sent help to China since Japan was the first country to violate the LoN.

• In 1940, USA stopped supplying oil to Japan, which became Japan’s justification for Pearl Harbor.

Second Sino-Japanese War

• While Japan had major victories, it could not completely defeat China.

  • Shanghai: 300k Chinese casualties. Japan shocked it took three months to defeat.

  • Rape of Nanking: 300k civilians slaughtered, 80k women raped, kMt blamed for leaving the city defenseless.

  • Shanxi: defended by CCP with successful guerilla sabotage. Propoganda won hearts & minds of Chinese.

• Japan bombing + biological warfare → deaths of over 20 million Chinese from 1937-1945

USA’s Failed Diplomacy

• After Pearl Harbor, the US approved a $500M loan to KMT.

  • After 1942 Bombing of Tokyo, the Japanese annihilated Chinese for hiding US soldiers.

    • Used biological warfare.

    • 10M Chinese dead, could not counter attack.

    • US resorts to island hopping/bombing instead.

• Japan loses WWII after:

  • Atomic Bombs

  • USSR invades Manchuria

• US did not create a coalition government in China, so in 1946 both parties begin fighting again.

Reasons for CCP’s Victory

• During Japan’s occupation, the CCP expanded influence through mass reforms and land redestribution that favored the poor, ensuring support.

  • CCP leaders worked and ate with common people.

  • Propaganda highlighted guerilla warfare in defense of people, while the KMT was blamed for strategic failures versus Japan.

  • Membership increased from 100k in 1937 to 1.2M in 1945.

• KMT was demoralized after WWI. They had the advantage in the amount of men, weapons, international support and territory, but still lost.

  • China’s population thought KMT was the corrupt pawn of the west.

  • The last Japanese offensive (Operation Ichi-Go 1944) weakened the KMT.

  • 300k+ casualties, including the KMT’s best soldiers.

Course of CCW 1945-1949

• The USSR possessed Manchuria, so when Japan surrendured, their industrial/military equipment went to the CCP.

  • The US supported the KMT, so they trained 500k troupes and gave them $5B in military aid.

• During 07/1946, the KMT launched an attack against the CCP with 1.6M troops.

  • The CCP continued south, winning battles.

  • Through attrition, CCP wiped out 1M KMT troops.

• 12/1949: After the fall of Nanking, the remaining 2M KMT retreat to Taiwan.

  • No armstice ever between the two Chinas.

Birth of People’s Republic of China

• By 1949, China is exhausted after a 25 year war. Mao has a “god-like” status under his “democratic dictatorship”.

  • China is isolated as West hates communism.

  • KMT took all gold/silver to Taiwan.

• China’s Communism:

  • All foreign assets nationalized.

  • Banks, gas, electricity, transport industry nationalized

  • Land redestributed, landlords/family sentenced to death

  • Women gained rights

  • Emphasis on primary education/literacy.

After 1945

• Korean War (1950): China aids North Korea.

  • Retaliation for USA as it shielded Taiwan from the PROC.

  • Red Terror: By 1951, 700K KMT sympathizers were executed.

• 100 Flowers Campaign (1956): Mao encourged citizens to express opinion of CCP, then killed all who dared to critique.

• Great Leap Forward (1958-1961): Tried to industrialize society, set up communes (eliminated private ownership of food via collectivized farming) & failed backyard industries, leading to famine and the deaths of 32 millions.

• Sino-Soviet Split (1956): Krushchev denounced Stalin (Mao’s hero) and advocated the idea of “peaceful coexistence” with the West. PROC now along.

• Cultural Revolution (1966): After the failure of the Great Leap Forward, Mao purged CCP members who criticized him, tortured millions of “revisionists”.

  • 1.5M killed in the name of communism.

• Mao dies (1976) → rise of Deng Xiaoping → Current China