The Civil War of China
The Civil War of China: Why Communist Party Defeat Nationalists?
Haotong Ma
University of Colorado Denver
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
PSCI 4615-001
Professor Steve Thomas
05/03/15
Ma 1
The Civil War of China: Why Communist Party Defeat Nationalists?
In 2005AD, Lian Zhan, the president of Chinese Nationalist Party from Taiwan visited mainland of China and had a conversation with Hu Jintao, the general secretary of Chinese Communist Party. This conversation was the first time between two parties over about 60 years after the burst of civil war in 1946. These two parties, historically speaking, changed the future process of China and the life of Chinese people. However, most history fans and Chinese people have a question in their mind, which is why Communist Party who was relative weak side can defeat the strong Nationalists in the civil war? In my opinion, this historical question is associated with the national situation at that time, positions of two parties respectively and two most influential leaders of two parties, Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek. In this article, I will talk about my personal opinions about this topic associated with above aspects.
Before talking about the reasons why CCP defeated KMT, let’s have an understanding of background of society situation of China before the burst of civil war. In 1945, Chinese army defeated the Japanese invaders and
Soldiers of the American Civil War were overwhelmed by a time where weaponry and technological developments were thriving. This brutal war changed the soldiers, both mentally and physically, and continued to have an impact throughout their entire lives. There were not only many deaths during the war, but also prior to the war as many soldiers took their own life. They would experience disturbing thoughts and events in their mind that could not be explained until they became known as mental illnesses. The exploration of psychological disorders following the Civil War improved medical diagnostic tools and the way patients were treated which transformed the treatment of mental illness by creating new ways of discovering illnesses, treating patients, and developing the foundation for the future of psychology throughout America.
In China between the years 1925 to 1950 myriad changes were occurring. Chinese peasants and the Chinese Communist Party joined forces against Japan. During the time 1925 to 1950 in China, relationships between the Communist Party and the peasants grew through the defense against a common enemy, mutual support, and the establishment of equality.
Between the years of 1927 and 1949 in China two warring sides, China’s Communist Party and China’s Nationalist Party, clashed. Although the two parties had previously worked together in the United Front against Japan when Japan tried to invade, their temporary alliance was dropped as soon as the invasion was over. Halting only for a brief period when Japan attempted to invade a second time in 1936 to form the Second United Front, the two parties resumed fighting after the invasion was over in 1945, and only stopped hostilities when the Communist party drove out the Nationalist party to Taiwan and other islands. This war brought China into a new era under a communist government, the People’s Republic of China. Massive reform and change would
After The Boxer Rebellion, many aspects of Chinese society changed. The rebellion ended with the signing of The Boxer Protocol, on September 7 1901. In the agreement, forts and walls protecting Beijing were to be destroyed. Also Chinese government officials that supported the uprising were to be punished. China was to stop importing arms for two years and was forced to pay more than 330 million in reparations to foreign nations involved.
president after Lincoln 's death and immediately set the tone for the rest of his
It is quite obvious that there were many goals to achieve during the Civil War. But discovering the true meaning and vision of the Civil War is the concept that is still researched today by the people of America. In the prologue of Blight’s Race and Reunion he states: (Three overall visions of the Civil War memory collided and combined over time: one, the reconciliationist vision … two, the white supremacist vision … and three, the emancipationist vision…) All three of these visions are extremely important, however, I mainly want to stress the importance of the white supremacist vision and the emancipationist vision. An obvious form of the change for the meaning of the Civil War through the period of Reconstruction is through the eyes of emancipationists. Emancipationist’s visions are mainly seen through African American’s eyes as they remember their freedom through the Civil War and Reconstruction. They see the Civil War as a new construction for the liberation of blacks through citizenship and Constitutional equality. It seems quite obvious that the Blacks did indeed earn more rights as Reconstruction progressed but, there were disagreements of the rights for Blacks. The white supremacist vision did not want the Civil War to be seen as a war fought for the freedom of Blacks and Blacks rights. They wanted the Civil War to be envisioned as a defense of Southern rights as their “property” (slaves) was soon to be taken. Both of these ideas and interpretations still live on in
In 1861, a horrific war began. Nobody had any idea that this war would become the deadliest war in American history. It wasn’t a regular war, it was a civil war opposing the Union in the North and the Confederate States in the South.. The Civil War cost many people’s lives on the battlefield and beyond. In addition it cost an extreme amount of money for the nation which possibly could have been avoided if the war had turned to happen a little differently.
In 1927, a war commenced between the Nationalist administration of China, headed by Christian official Chiang Kai-shek, and the Communist Chinese, headed by Mao Tse-tung. Thus, war was waged between the Nationalists, representatives of freedom; and the Communists, representatives of the soul-crushing oppression of Communism. Conversely, in America, the sides were interchanged, as liberal American reporters referred to Mao Tse-tung a “true man of the people” and an “agrarian reformer”; however, patriot of freedom, Chiang Kai-shek was prejudicially labeled as “power-hungry” and “corrupt”. Because assistance was not given from the United States to an ally in desperate need, the toxin of Communism invaded China and remains a parasite on a formerly great land.
On 1 October 1949, Mao Zedong, leader of the Chinese Communist Party declared victory over the Nationalist Party (Guomindang) and brought an end to four brutally long years of Civil War. The Communist victory in the Civil War has however, created significant debate among historians, namely: was a Communist victory inevitable and if so is it more sensible to see the Chinese Civil War as a Communist victory or as a Nationalist defeat?When researching these questions it becomes blatantly obvious that the Guomindang government led by Chiang Kai-Shek was riddled with problems and they are very much the cause of their own downfall. Widespread government corruption, spiraling inflation, loss of public confidence and intractable poverty are just a
of the Americans and of Chinese intellectuals and Students” (Tanner 47), his ideals, although far from the expectations of Americans and a good portion of Chinese intellectual’s were all driven from his Confucian and military background. Even with the help of the Americans the relationship between the Americans and the Kuomintang was not all that great. Even Chiang, “for his part, had little respect for Marshall, or for Americans in general. In his diary, Chiang often referred to Americans as naïve, superficial, emotional, and immature” (Tanner 37). But in order to ensue American support for the Kuomintang Chiang had to continue to deal and make amends with Marshall. In the eyes of the Americans Chiang is seen as a dictator who had no skills in
However, after the Japanese retreat, the Communists and the Guomindang raced for control the areas that Japan had occupied. The USA became involved, because the US did not want the Communists to win control of China. They supported Guomindang troops to seize most other coastal cities and ports. The USA did not want to renew the civil war, therefore send General George C. Marshall to bring the two sides together in December 1945. He managed to sing a truce between them but it broke down in early 1946. The Civil War started. Guomindang seemed stronger because their military power was helped by America. Chiang Kai-shek was recognised as the true leader of China. Communists were not in good position, because they did not have air force and navy, they had few railways and they only had an army of 1 million men. It seemed really weak; they did not even have the help of a
The United States has changed over time in its treatment of welcoming immigrants from Europe, to a scapegoating, prejudice, racist, nativism and xenophobia society for immigrants from other countries. An example of this is the Anti-Chinese Movement; Chinese workers had played a very important role in building the railroad in the West, but as soon as the work was finished. Xenophobia began to set in among the white settlers, which allowed stereotypes about Chinese customs to flourish eventually leading to Sinophobe. Finally, in 1882 Congress enacted the Chinese exclusion act, which outlawed Chinese immigration for 10 years. This is one example how the United States society treats immigrants, moving into present-day time illegal and legal immigrants
Throughout the history of China, the civil strife in China had marked a significant event. With two parties established; the Nationalist known as Kuomintang (KMT) and the Communist known as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), conflicts between them began to erupt due to their difference in beliefs when CCP began to question to morality of democracy and capitalism. This led to the Chinese Civil War (1945-1949). Although many see that, “early in the civil war it looked as though the Nationalists might prevail. They controlled key cities, their well-equipped troops far outnumbered Communist troops, and they had support from the United States,” (Tamura 180) the outcome of the war was not what everyone thought to be due to many
After a bitter civil war (1946-1949), which faced the major Chinese parties Kuomintang and CCP, Kuomintang’s defeat, evidenced with Chiang’s and 200.000 people´s fled to Formosa, Mao Zedong (1893-1976), born in Shoshan, Hunan, proclaimed the new People´s Republic of China with himself as both Chairman of the CCP and President of the republic in October 1949. How did the under numbered and weak CCP, founded by the same person in 1921 manage to survive several extermination campaigns and re-organize the party to win the civil war, crushing opposition and establish the Chinese
The Chinese Communist Revolution succeeded to dispose of capitalism and imperialism. The Communists and the Nationalists started their fight in the 1920s; however, Japanese invasions forced the two sides to formulate a temporary truce to battle off the Japanese at the time of World War Two. During the war, the Nationalist Army started to fade and weaken while the Communists grew and prospered because strong guerilla tactics helped the Communists dominate against the opposition (Schaff, 2009). At the time, China was managed by European countries who took no action against the Japanese occupation, and so, China economically began collapsing. Zedong used the war to his advantage as an opportunity to see how strong his reign over the army was. Ultimately, Chairman Mao Zedong led the Communist Party to victory over the Nationalists to form the People’s Republic of China (Young, 2001). Social and economic ailments and the unfair treatment of peasants gave rise to the communist revolution in China, which resulted in the destruction of the economy and a tilt to the balance of authority between the Western powers and Communists.