China 1945 to 1949: Civil War and Communist victory Flashcards
to understand the factors which led to the CCP victory in 1945
What was Communist membership in 1945?
1.2 million members including approximately 900,000 soldiers
How was China divided in 1945?
As a simplification: Communists controlled most areas north of the Yangtze; the Nationalists controlled most of the areas south.
What were Nationalists strengths in 1945?
They had 2.7 million soldiers, some newly trained by the US. They had ten times the artillery of the Communists and an air force. They were also recognised internationally as he legitimate ruler of China with one of the permanent seats on the UN Security Council
How did the US help the Nationalists consolidate their power when Japan surrendered?
They airlifted troops to strategic positions so they could seize the military supplies left behind by the Japanese.
How and when had foreign concessions in China been ended?
The defeat of Japan and Germany in 1945 put an end to their involvement in China; US, UK and France had agreed to relinquish their rights in a series of ‘equal treaties’ in 1943.
How did the USSR support both the Communists and Nationalists?
They signed a treaty with the Nationalists in 1945. They helped the Communists take control of Manchuria when the Japanese surrendered and gave them some of the Japanese military equipment. They encouraged both the Communists and Nationalists to negotiate an alliance.
When the Japanese army in Manchuria surrendered to the Russians, how did the USSR use this to their advantage?
They stripped Manchuria of its industrial infrastructure (worth about 2 billion dollars) and transported it back to Russia.
Why did Mao hold talks with Chiang in 1945?
Because both USA and USSR were pressurising the Communists to unite with the Nationalists. Neither the Communists nor Nationalists wanted to be seen as the obstacle to peace.
Why did the CCP-GMD talks in 1945 fail to achieve much?
Chiang demanded that control of the CCP’s armies and local governments in the north. Mao was not prepared to accept this. The ideological divisions between the two sides were too great and both leaders were unable to accept a secondary position.
What was the new name of the CCP’s army?
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA)
How did the conflict between the Nationalists and Communists escalate in 1945?
Nationalist forced moved into Manchuria and US soldiers occupied Beiping, Tianjin and other key points in the north. The PLA successfully took control of the Shantung Peninsula.
Why did new GMD-CCP talks resume in January 1946?
US President Truman sent General Marshall to try and settle the situation in China. The CCP saw this as a chance to halt the Nationalist advance into northern China; the Nationalists felt they had to take part. Independents and moderate GMD were also part of these talks.
Why did the Marshall Mission fail to provide a solution to the CCP-GMD conflict in 1946?
Chiang could not accept the proposals for a parliamentary government. Both the GMD and CCP used the time to prepare for a war they both saw as necessary. Mao also hoped to sue the talks to split the USA and moderate GMD away from Chiang Kaishek. The growing friction between the USSR and USA in Europe in 1946 also meant the talks were unlikely to succeed.
What do Chinese today call the Civil War of 1946-49?
War of Liberation
When the Civil War began in 1946, which side was initially winning?
The Nationalists. They occupied most of the cities in Manchuria except Harbin and the far north; they forced the CCP out of Yanan.
With the Nationalist victories in 1946, how did the CCP prevent its total collapse?
It retreated out of the cities and used the countryside to harass the GMD and, by blowing up railways and communication lines, cut them off from supplies in the cities. They also destroyed the airstrips on which the NRA depended.
When the NRA seized Yanan in March 1947, Chiang launched the ‘strong point offensive’. What was this?
It was an attempt to destroy the Communist pockets in Shandong and Shaanxi provinces. Chiang believed the capture of the CCP’s former heartland had given the NRA control of Hebei and Shanxi.
What were Mao’s guiding principles for guerrilla warfare?
“When the enemy advances, we retreat. When the enemy escapes, we harass. When they retreat, we pursue.”
Why did the NRA’s ‘strong point offensive’ of 1947 fail?
The NRA’s supply lines were overstretched, which left them vulnerable to guerrilla attacks by the PLA. The PLA then launched attacks on the NRA and drove them out of north-eastern China.
How did the failure of the NRA’s ‘strong point offensive’ of 1947 change the PLA’s tactics?
They saw that they could win direct frontal attacks on the NRA. Mao convinced the rest of the PLA leadership to direct attacks on the NRA with the aim of completely defeating the Nationalists.
Which CCP general successfully defeated the Nationalist army in Manchuria?
Lin Baio
Why had the Nationalists lost Manchuria by November 1948?
They never secured the supply lines necessary to keep the army properly equipped. They did little to win the support of the people; they appointed corrupt officials from the south govern the cities and armies; due to his suspicions of his own generals, Chiang did not give them the support they needed; Lin Baio used guerrilla tactics to successfully harass the GMD and make their positions very difficult. In 1948 the PLA shifted to a fully-out assault on the GMD, in the Liaoshen campaign.
What was the Liaoshen campaign of 1948?
An all-out attack by the PLA on the last remaining Nationalists bases in Manchuria: Changchun and Shenyang. First they seized Jinzhou as a strategically important railway junction, then after a two-month siege, Changchun, followed by Shenyang. Chiang Kaishek tried to pour troops and resources into defending these cities but to no overall success.
What were the consequences of the Liaoshen campaign of 1948?
It showed the PLA could defeat the NRA in direct assaults; it pushed the GMD out of Manchuria and on the retreat; the Nationalists lost 400,000 troops through casualties and desertions; the PLA were now numerically superior to the NRA; Mao and the CCP were no longer interested in any compromises with the Nationalists, as they felt they could win the war outright.
