China Flashcards
1
Q
United front
A
- Chiang and GMD agreed to form a united front with the coms against Japan
- Russian govt agreed to give them military aid
- Chiang was named commander-in-chief of all the Chinese forces
2
Q
Japan war
A
- July 1937 Jap troops provoked local Chinese troops into fight on Marco Polo bridge
- claimed Chinese fired on them, launched an attack on army bases in Beijing + occupied city, followed by full scale invasion of China
- Jap troops went south, pushing back GMD, captured Shanghai most important port in Nov 37, advance up Yangzi river caught Nanjing capital, forced Chiang to retreat to Sichuan, set up wartime capital in Chongqing
- start of 38 1mil Jap troops in China, control of most cities around Yangzi, most densely populated area
- went on to capture Wuhan and Guangzhou, island of Hainan
- next 5 years no more advances, not enough manpower to occupy whole country, never had total control in areas
- left many areas unguarded as they moved, allowed Chinese to move back and take countryside. Jap had cities, Chinese had countryside
- Jap concentrated on destroying Chiang wartime govt, ‘most bombarded city in the world’
3
Q
American involvement
A
- 1941 Jap had 2mil men in China, more than half of her forces
- Dec 1941 US declared war on Japan after pearl harbour
- immediate response was arrival of American supplies along Burma road into Chongqing
- American airfields built in SE China so American bombers smash Japan sea trade and cut off imports
- April 44 Jap launch offensive to destroy airfields, advancing south captured city of Changsha + occupied SE, cut Chiang off from coast
- In pacific ocean + Burma, Jap troops forced to retreat early
- summer 45 war came to sudden end after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, surrender of 1mil Jap troops in China ended war
4
Q
People at war
A
- Japanese acted with great savagery: looting, rape, torture, murder in every area they captured
- aerial bombing of civilians, a new development in warfare
- 4 million Chinese killed, 60 mil made homeless
5
Q
Communists at war
A
- came out of the war stronger than at its start
- Japanese invasion in 37 and retreat of Chiang to Chongqing gave the Coms opportunities to expand area under their control
- took areas Jap could not guard
- 37-40 com fighters moved east towards their base at Yanan and took control of parts of N China
- 1940 began an offensive called Hundred regiments battle attacking Jap railway communications through N China
- to deal with coms, Jap began operation three all campaign- kill all, burn all, destroy all. Aimed to turn people against coms by burning villages, crops, animals, wells and peasants
- campaign had opposite effect, made most peasants hate Japs, more willing to help coms attack then
- 1945, controlled 18 liberation areas, most in countryside
6
Q
Japan left
A
- Both GMD and Coms got ready to fight civil war, intending to take control
7
Q
Life in GMD china
A
- Chiang governed area as a military dictator, believed that a country was governed best by a single supreme leader
- called the ‘Generalissimo’, had a political force of ‘blueshirts’ specialised in hunting down coms, spying, torture
- aimed to modernise country, improving railways, postal services etc., powerful foreign companies were encouraged to build factories in China
- aimed to create national unity, started the new life movement based on 4 ancient ideas
- movement put great stress on public health, self-discipline and honesty, encouraged by posters, did not try to deal with welfare problems (lack of medical care, housing, poverty)
- earned the reputation of being trivial
- also started rural service movement, sent students into country to help peasants, nothing to reduce land prices
- Chiang and GMD never gained support of peasants (most of pop), support from bankers+merchants, weak in countryside
8
Q
Life in liberation areas
A
- Coms began to make reforms after long march to the way land was owned and farmed
- big estates of land confiscated, shared among peasants
- interest-free loans given, rents and taxes reduced
- red army engineers made farming tools, agricultural school set up helping peasants
- social reforms: abolished outdated practices (foot binding, murder of babies, sale of women etc)
- women’s associations set up help women free themselves from violent husbands
- everyone lived equally, even party members
- support mostly from peasants, propaganda spread message throughout war
9
Q
American involvement communists
A
- americans did not want coms to win control of China
- to prevent, US air force flew 80k best GMD troops to Nanking, Shanghai and Beijing, GMD went on to seize cities and ports+ cities in manchuria
- US did not want them to help renew civil war, wanted parties to share power joint govt
- Dec 45 general George C. Marshall (respected military leader) sent to China to bring two sides together
- he got the round a conference to sign a truce, but broke down early in 46, both sides prepared for battle
10
Q
Civil war 1946-49
A
- people though GMD would easily win, powerful american trained and equipped army of 3 mil men, held big cities, railways and rich provinces, plenty of money, lots of weapons
- Kaishek recognised by most foreign govts as true leader of China
- Coms were weak, only countryside, no big city, no air force, few railways, no navy 1 mil men, no foreign backing
- started June 1946 1 mil GMD troops offensive in N. By march they won series of battles, captured Yanan (com capital)
- Red army (renamed PLA) fought with skill, led by Lin Bao, they avoided major battles with GMD and used guerilla tactics
- this meant making night raids, blowing up railways, ambushing patrols.
- from these tactics PLA took much of central and N China in 47 forcing GMD on defensive, more land they took, bigger they became as peasants joined
11
Q
Problems of civil war
A
- civilians in GMD cities suffering badly, rapid inflation of currency, money lost value people’s wages bough less in shops= workers on strike
- others stopped working and took to robbing instead
- price of rice rose to 500k Chinese dollars, crowds stormed shops, riots, public order lost
- worse conditions became, more people stopped supporting GMD and went to coms
- GMD collapsing in 47 Chiang admitted they were bankrupt and disunited, US could see this and cut off all aid to Chiang in 47, further weakening position
12
Q
Communist victory
A
- 1948 PLA large enough to abandon guerilla tactics and fight GMD head on
- Nov 48 went on the attack, large fighting around Suchow and Yungcheng, fought massive battle of Huai-Hei
- in Huai-Hei GMD lost more than 500k troops and lots of equipment, allowed PLA to move freely in central china
- captured Beijing in April, Shanghai in May+ Guangzhou in Oct
- October 1949 the coms proclaimed the existence of a knew kind of China- the people’s republic of China.
- only part not under control was Taiwan as Chiang retreated to the island taking 200k GMD troops+gold reserves
- he ruled Taiwan until his death in 75 as ‘Republic of China’
