Comparing and contrasting the causes of the Chinese and Spanish Civil Wars Flashcards
1
Q
Similarities between political/ideological causes
A
- Nationalism VS Communism
- Both countries had a large division In regions but also in political views which allowed for a form unification within the people’s political view that shared a similar goal for the unification of China which opposed the opposition.
- Monarchy vs the Wealthy (or warlords)
- Both involved polarisation which precipitated conflict. Large amounts of ethnic fractionalization where individuals identify and belong to distinct cultural, religious, and linguistic groups which led to political instability which played a part in the outcome of war.
2
Q
Differences between political/ideological causes
A
- Spain didn’t have the same resentment to western influence that China did.
- China unlike Spain was ushered into war due to foreign influence. Spain benefits from war by staying out of it, economic benefit then creates larger political divides.
- China although divided within their political views being separate, they did share the same goal of unification of China, whereas, in Spain the communists believed in the regions to be autonomous and for them to be separate from other states/regions.
3
Q
Similarities between regional causes
A
Both had problems with the weakness of the central government, China lacked a central ruler following Manchu dynasty being overthrown, Spain lacked support for their Second Republic, which was overthrown only 3 years later.
4
Q
Differences between regional causes
A
- While there was disunity and regionalism in both countries, the reasons for these were different. In Spain, regions like Catalonia wanted autonomy as they had their own ethnic identities. In contrast, the warlords were all nationalist and wanted to be leaders of China, just under their own terms.
- Nationalism was a dividing force in Spain, while it was used as a uniting force in China.
5
Q
Similarities between economic causes
A
- Imbalance and development gap between the peasants who worked and lived in very poor conditions.
- Agricultural similarities- both had predominantly agriculturally based economies, so the inefficient income meant peasants were moving to cities where there was high unemployment.
- The Great Depression exacerbated the economic situation in both countries.
6
Q
Differences between economic causes
A
- China had a massive change in their population size which made living conditions worse and damaged the ability for the country to develop properly. Spain did not have a dramatic increase in their population so that did not influence their economic situation.
- Taxation in China had a significant role in their poor economic conditions- increased rent, in Spain there wasn’t a direct role of tax on the economic crisis
- Although the economies of either nation were particularly modern, there was pressure on the Spanish government to reform and modernise, whilst there was little demand in China for modernisation as a lot of the population was against a westernised economy.
7
Q
Similarities between social/religious causes
A
- In both countries, a large portion of the population experienced poor living and working conditions under landlords (in Spain the south, China everywhere)
- In both countries the working class was pushed towards left-wing political parties: in China, the CCP gained much support from peasants and industrial workers, and in Spain the workers supported the anarchist CNT and socialist UGT.
8
Q
Differences between social/religious causes
A
- In Spain, there was a prominent divide between the modernised and industrialised North and rural South which led to low living and working conditions in both regions, however in China there was very little modernisation at all throughout the whole country.
- In China, the state was not dominated by a single religion as was the case in Spain however there was resentment against Christian missionaries.
