Conditions in which Authoritarian States Emerged

Question 1

impact of war
how long did the chinese civil war last?

Answer 1

1927-1949

Question 2

impact of war
how did the ccp win the war through military means?

Answer 2

• Guerrilla Warfare maintained pressure
• 1948: began conventional warfare after training
• Spring 1948: retook Yan’an, gave a psychological boost
• Lin Biao ensured an organised army, helped to capture key transport links to isolate GMD forces in cities

Question 3

impact of war
How did CCP gain popular support?

Answer 3

• supported by those who feared GMD recapture
• Resilience against the Japanese increased reputation
• Restrained troops and controlled prices
• prioritised support using propaganda (e.g targeting the youth)

Question 4

impact of war
How did GMD lose popular support?

Answer 4

• Corruption, inefficiency, rationing, inflation, minimal reform
• Poor resilience against the Japanese impacted GMD reputation
• reliant on wealthy landlords and businessmen
• did not prioritise mass support

Question 5

impact of war
what territory did the ccp cover?

Answer 5

• 1948: took cities and key railway junctions (e.g Jinzhou) which gave them control of Manchuria
• January, 1949: Controlled whole of Northern China, and during 1949 controlled most of South + West China

Question 6

impact of war
When did Mao announce the establishment of the People’s Republic of China?

Answer 6

1st October, 1949

Question 7

weakness of political system
why were chinese people resentful towards the Qing government?

Answer 7

• 1840s: western powers imposed themselves over china
• china forced to engage in **‘unequal treaties’ **
• by 1900: over 50 of China’s key ports owned in foreign possession
• Qing government unable to protect China

Question 8

weakness of political system
what was the 1911 revolution?

Answer 8

• led by Sun Yat Sen
• revolutions against the Qing Government
• ended imperial rule in China

Question 9

weakness of political system
what was the warlord era?

Answer 9

• shortly after 1911 revolution
• rival warlords and factions rule different regions
• lacked central authority, void of power

Question 10

weakness of government
what was the May 4th Movement?

Answer 10

• 1919: Treaty of Versailles gives former german colonies in China to Japan
• sparked chinese nationalism and resentment
• radicalised opposition (e.g Mao Zedong)

Question 11

weakness of government
what were peoples’ attitude towards the Nationalist / GMD government?

Answer 11

• initially well-received as they brought stability after an era of warlords
• plagued with corruption (embezzlement, nepotism, lack of transparency)
• lack of public trust in government

Question 12

economic factors
why and what were the impacts of hyperinflation in china?

Answer 12

• GMD printed money to bankroll armies
• Bartering
• Shortages in consumer goods led to hoarding of scarce supplies

Question 13

economic factors
what was china’s economy like after the war?

Answer 13

• devastated
• no stable or unified currency

Question 14

economic factors
how was china’s economy and industry impacted by the civil war?

Answer 14

• Nationalist sabotaged industrial sites when retreating
• Local power stations bombed, coal stocks low and lacked electricity
• USSR controlled Manchuria, dismantled industrial equipment, confiscated tools and gold shipped to USSR end of WWII

Question 15

social division
what was confucianism and how did it perpetuate social inequality?

Answer 15

• hierarchal society
• women unequal
• purposely kept those in lower classes at the bottom

Question 16

social division
why was china a divided country?

Answer 16

• muslims in xinjiang had little in common with the rest of china
• tibetans did not identify as chinese at all

Question 17

social division
what were conditions like for peasants before and after the war?

Answer 17

• lived in poverty
• exploited by landlords
• poor education - most illiterate which affected flow of ideas, information and development
• poor healthcare

Question 18

social division
what social class did Mao gain the most support from?

Answer 18

peasants in rural areas
made up 80% of the population

Question 19

social division
How were transport networks affected by the civil war?

Answer 19

• half of railway networks destroyed, blown up by Communists
• Telephone lines damaged
• rivers and harbours clogged with ships that sunk during conflict