the chinese civil war
InformationThe Chinese Civil War was fought in China between forces loyal to the Kuomintang(KMT) and forces loyal to the Communist Party of China(CPC). It began in 1927 and ended in 1950. The war represented an ideological split between the communist(CPC) and the nationalist(KMT). The civil war carried on until the latter half of 1937. Then, the two parties came together to form the Second United Front in order to battle the Japanese invasion. In 1946, the civil war started again after one year of fighting Japan had ended. Fighting eventually ended four years later when the People's Republic of China(PRC) was founded to control mainland China. Additionally, The Republic of China(ROC) ended up controlling Matsu, Quemoy, Taiwan, Penghu, and other outlaying islands.
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Events, outcomes, and policies |
Throughout the course of the civil war, many events occurred that significantly impacted the outcome. One in particular was the Northern Expedition. The goal of this campaign was to defeat the area's local warlords in order to unify China. As a result, the Beiyang government collapsed. Furthermore, this lead to a reunification of China. Another incident was the Shanghai Massacre. It began on April 7, 1927 when many KMT leaders held a meeting to discuss communist activities that were developing in their territories. On April 12 1927, fighting broke out between the CPC and KMT in Shanghai. The KMT executed hundreds of members of the CPC which resulted in a separation between right and left wings. This massacre increased tension between the KMT's left wing leader Wang Jingwei and right wing leader Chiang Kai-shek. Next, The Capture of BeiJing took place. The KMT's resumed the battle against the warlords by capturing Beijing. Consequently, nearly all of eastern China was controlled by the KMT government, Nanjing. This government was seen internationally as China's legitimate government. After this occurred, the Second Sino-Japanese War took place. Chiang ordered his KMT generals to undertake the elimination of the CPC in order to unite China. However, the KMT suffered greatly because of the CPC's guerrilla war efforts. The Japanese then launched Operation Ichi-go against the KMT forces. In the end, the KMT was seriously weakened and the CPC benefited politically. After the Sino-Japanese War, fighting occurred over control in Manchuria. Overall, the soviet Union helped the CPC's leader Mao Zedong advance to win the war and create a communist rule.
Mao Zedong enacted various policies throughout his rule. One of his policies was the Great Leap Forward. This policy was an economic and social campaign by the CPC from 1958 to 1961. It aimed to rapidly transform the country from an agrarian economy into a socialist society through industrialization and collectivization. However, the campaign caused the Great Chinese Famine. Another policy was the Cultural Revolution. This was a social-political movement that took place in the PRC from 1966 to 1976. Its stated goal was to preserve true communist ideology in the country by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society, and to re-impose Maoist thought as the dominant ideology within the party. These policies were all due in part to Mao's communist ideas that needed to be officially documented. |
Analysis and long term impact |
The Chinese Civil war lasted for a long time, proving lasting impacts. The KMT's defeat happened mainly because of corruption. Also, the CPC told peasants that they would be given their former warlord's farmland which made the CPC extremely popular towards the end of the war. No peace treaty or armistice was ever signed to officially end the civil war. Mao Zedong proclaimed that the capital for the PRC would be Beiping(later named Beijing). Also, roughly two billion nationalist Chinese people left mainland China and fled to Taiwan with Chiang. Today, there are still tensions about Taiwan's political status. The PRC claims that Taiwan is part of there territory and still threatens the Republic of China with military action if the ROC were to declare its independence. Finally, the Republic of China also declares that mainland China belongs to them.
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