1. The Chinese Civil War 1927-37 and 1946-49

2. Causes of the Chinese Civil War
Up to 1927

3. Overview Defining the war: a question of dates!
-the 'long civil war': , starting with the collapse of imperial power until Mao's ultimate victory in 1949 allowed a single ruler of the country to emerge - a sustained 37 year period of conflict.

4. Overview
-“the first Chinese civil war': , starting with the 'white terror' the decade when Chiang Kai Shek and the KMT (GMD) tried unsuccessfully to root out the Communists, which was then interrupted by the Japanese invasion and the Second World War, before the 'second Chinese civil war' broke out:

5. Overview
Historian Jonathan Spence argues that the Chinese Civil War should refer more narrowly to this latter conflict between 1946 and 1949, as this produced a decisive result.

6. Long-Term Cause: Socioeconomic
Plight of the peasantry
Hard life, most extremely poor, subsistence farmers
Paid the taxes for imperial court
Faced starvation through floods
Population grew by 8 percent in second half of 1800s, land cultivated only by 1 percent
Famines more frequent
Land reduced, rents increased
Some driven to the cities where

7. Long-Term Weaknesses of the State Collapse of imperial power in 19th century played a fundamental role in creating the conditions for the later civil war.
Poor leadership of the Qing Dynasty (Manchus)
Failure to offer reforms, similar to Tsar Nicholas II
Opposition to the Self-Strengthening Movement

8. Why was Manchu Dynasty fragile?
China saw an increase in foreign interest in the country after the defeat of the British in the Opium wars
The superpowers in the world started to “carve up” China among them and control her trade.
Events
Opium Wars and
Taiping Rebellion
Open Door China 1899
Boxer Rebellion 1900
Effects
China forced to sign unequal treaties over trade, territory, sovereignty
Foreigners established their own courts after not abiding Chinese laws

9. Western exploitation
The emperor’s inability to resist this influx of foreign involvement in the country contributed to the rising nationalist resentment and internal opposition to the imperial power.
China’s self-image was badly hurt – belief that abdication of the emperor was necessary to modernize the country in order to make it a great power again.

10. Decline of the Manchus 1908 Emperor Zaitian died without an heir
Two year old, Puyi, to become the next Emperor
Prince Chun ruling as regent
Dismissed all political opposition, increased taxation and frustrated the business classes

11. Revolution
Despite late attempts at reform, the dynasty was overthrown in 1911 in the revolution of the double tenth 10/10 /1911(a military nationalistic uprising).
As the dynasty was overthrown, a power vacuum arose, which the KMT (GMD) and CCP fight over later in the civil war.
Thus, the collapse of imperial power created the conditions for the later civil war.

12. Revolution and Its Aftermath
1911, (10/10) Double Tenth Revolution
General uprising, military turned on the Manchus, provinces declaring themselves independent
Successful, delegates come together to establish the Republic of China
February of 1912 Puyi formally abdicates the throne
Provisional government originally led by the revolutionary Sun Yixian
Taken over by the military commander Yuan Shikai

13. Short term causes: Sun and Yuan
Arrangement was the result of a deal between Sun and Yuan
Yuan was promised the presidency in return for the military’s support in the revolution
Sun thought he could control him from; needed to avoid a civil war between his supporters and the military
The revolution was really incomplete
Would only turn into a military dictatorship
No real democracy, did not benefit the majority of the population (peasants)

14. Sun and Yuan
Sun goes on to formally reform his political party, the Guomindang in 1912
Left-wing party
Three principles
Nationalism
Democracy
People’s Livelihood
Land reform and centralized economics
Resentment quickly develops between the two men
Sun able to generate a general uprising in the Jiangxi province in the 1913 Second Revolution
Fails and the GMD leadership must flee to Japan

15. Fall of Yuan Shikai Yuan Shikai a poor leader himself
Abolished regional governments
Increased tax levies
Weak response to Japan’s 1915 Twenty-One Demands
Declared himself the Emperor in 1916
Lost the support of his own military
Resigned and then died three months later

16. Short term causes :Warlord Era 1916-27
China now lacking a leader
Yuan dead
Sun in Japan with a weak GMD
Falling back into regionalism, power to the warlords
Territories run independently
Taxation and conscription particularly damaging to the peasants
Increased Chinese humiliation
Combined with persistent desire to remove foreign influences, actually led to increased nationalism

17. Short term causes :Yuan and War Lords
This contributed to outbreak of civil war in three ways. 1) As country was divided up, more people became nationalistic and wanted to unify China 2) The social conditions under the warlords were very poor, and the exploitation of peasants led to later support for the CCP. 3) As China was internally weak, it had to accept the TOV and grant the former German colony of Shangdong to China’s greatest enemy, Japan. This created more nationalistic feelings. -As a result of the warlord era the Chinese desire for change and modernization was very intense. Thus, two different political parties, the KMT and the CCP, were formed. The two parties both offered a solution to China’s problems.

18. Short term causes :May Fourth Movement
Two political movements early in this era
Re-birth of the GMD, earliest instance of the Chinese Communist Party
May Fourth Movement in 1919
Students led a mass demonstration in Beijing
Protesting the warlords, old Chinese culture and the Japanese rise
Ignited by the Treaty of Versailles and Shandong award to China
Likely influenced by the success of the Bolsheviks in Russia

19. Short Term Cause: Ideological divide
Ideology played a crucial role in bringing about war as KMT and CCP essentially fought over who was going to unify China and solve its problems according to their respective ideology

20. CCP - Communist
aim - to create an equal classless society, in which the state has withered away.
Mao adapts Soviet communism to Chinese conditions. For example, the peasant class is seen as the revolutionary class.
Mao also wants to revolutionize Chinese society.
1) Eradicate rural poverty through collective ownership.
2) Replace traditional Chinese values with CCP values
3)Abolish foreign influence, and especially western influence.
The key difference between the two parties s that CCP want a central economy whilst KMT wants to maintain capitalism
KMT
Starts off with Sun-Yat-Sen as the leader. He is the leader from
Three main principles: 1) Nationalism (take away foreign influence) 2) People’s democracy (establish a democratic state) 3) People’s livelihood (establish socialism, where the poor are benefitted)
Chiang Kai-Shek Chiang shifts KMT ideology to the right. He focuses more on nationalism. Chiang’s shift to the right leads to the white terror in Shanghai in 1927 .

21. Short Term Cause: Failure of KMT to secure single party state:
The failure of Chiang Kai-Shek to secure a single party state and unite China under one government meant that civil war was virtually inevitable.
Chiang failed to defeat the CCP in 1927, and the CCP were severely weakened and had to flee to the remote parts of China (Jianxi province).
During the next couples of years the nationalist government failed to establish control of China.
Meanwhile, CCP built up its strength and emerged as much stronger in the "united front" with KMT in 1937 against the Japanese invasion.

22. Short Term Cause: First United Front
1921 CCP formally established
Support and funding from the Soviets through the Comintern
1923 political alliance between the GMD and CCP
First United Front
Goal to remove the warlords
Both leftist organizations
1925 Sun Yixian’s death changed the nature of the GMD
Chiang Kai-Shek wins out in a power struggle with Wang Jingwei
Backing of the military elements of the GMD and claim to the position as husband to Sun’s widow’s sister
Differently ideologically thought, much more rightist, capitalist

23. End of the United Front: Northern Expedition
1926, First United Front begins military campaign to remove the warlords and foreign influences
By 1927, have captured Hangzhou, Shanghai and Nanjing
GMD declares itself the legitimate government of China

24. Northern Expedition Alliance had been one of convenience
Chiang Kai-Shek turns on the CCP and the remaining leftist elements in the GMD
CCP had been rising in popularity along the Northern Expedition
Promising an attractive reform program to the peasants and industrial workers

25. Beginning of the Chinese Civil War 1927-37
Attacks were known as the 1927 White Terror
Chiang saw it as an extension of attempts to unify China
Employed triads, gangsters, criminals to conduct a purification movement
Targeting communists, trade unionists, peasant leadership, etc.
CCP was nearly crushed at this stage, not comparable in terms of power
Remnants of the CCP flee to the Jiangxi province
GMD will pursue them south
Beginning of the civil war