"To what extent did guerilla warfare determine the outcome of two 20th century wars?"

Paragraph 1: Unifying ideology of Maoism strengthening guerilla forces and Mao strengths

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* Maoism; revolutionary movement based around peasants
* More realistic strategy; vast majority of Chinese were not urban workers bur rural peasants; 
* 500 million population → 12 were in urban areas; 88 percent lived in rural regions (259 million workforce: 205 million were agricultural workers; 54 million were non-agricultural or industrial workers)
* “The peasants are the sea; we are the fish. The sea is our habitat”
* Communists always survive by retreating: Long March 1934; Mao: 1929
* By retreating, they were able to set up more guerilla bases which would eventually bring in more guerilla fighters, strengthening the movement
* The long march ensure CPP survival; offered a defensible base in Yan’an
* Served as brilliant propaganda for CCP:
* Mao defeated all five encirclement campaigns: All 3 advances defeated using Mao’s strategy of revolutionary war; allowed GMD to enter their territory and began to round up Communists; they attack fragmented units; knowledge of terrain and use of local peasants

Paragraph 2: GMD weaknesses / Impact of foreign intervention

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* Military limitations
* Encirclement campaigns / Long march (forced to retreat)
* War with Japan / conventional warfare
* GMD crushed in war with Japan
* Political Disunity
* This means militarily, they are ineffective
* Jiang does not trust his own generals
* Economic failings
* GMD reliant on american money
* At the end of the second world war this money dries up
* USSR - August 1945 USSR occupied Manchuria. Stayed until May 1946
* PLA officers sent to USSR training
* USSR set up 16 military training institutions inc artillery and engineering schools
* Maoism not undermined by communism

Paragraph 3: Castro & guerrilla warfare tactics 1956-59

Castro’s tactics were shaped by Che Guevara’s foco strategy: “Small groups of guerrilleros could fight against a nation’s army through spectacular acts”

Battles:

* Key for movement's first victories: La Plata, January 1957; El Uvero in May 1957 (Used guerrilla element of surprise)
* Counter offensive: Mid 1958; developed war of columns (creating different fronts in line with the geography of Cuba)
* Divided Batisata’s forces; Success due to “familiar” territory
* December 1958; Castro launched large-scale offensives; Oriente and another in Las Villas (7,250 guerrilleros) - led to victory of the battle of santa clara in dec 1958
* Castro must win support of peasants in order for his guerilla tactics to become effective
* October 16th 1953; “History will absolve me” speech
* Denounced Batista’s regime
* Articulated his revolutionary ideas to the people of Cuba
* “Five revolutionary laws”; Included:
* Reestablishment of the 1940 Constitution
* Implementation of agrarian revolution to redistribute land

Paragraph 4: Role of underground movements: “Llano strategy”

__Historian;__ Robert E. Quirk: “more important than Castro’s guerillas were the hundreds of centres of resistance in the cities”

* Llano strategy consisted of attempting to overthrow Batista through rebellions in urban areas
* Provided food and supplies to its guerilla allies in the Sierra Maestra; Essential in taking el Uvero on May 1957
* Castros strategy was dependent on Frank Pais as he gave Castro arms in 1957 says historians
* Llano strategy also succeeded in increasing the isolation of Batista’s regime
* Key to finals months: Organised the nationwide general strike; 2nd of January 1959
* Made General Cantillo order a cease-fire