Depth Study 1: Why did China become a Communist State in 1949? Flashcards
What was the Long March?
The Long March refers to the relocation of the Chinese Communist Party and its Red Army, from their base in the Jiangxi to the northern province of Shaanxi, in 1934-1935. Driven from Jiangxi by an expanded Nationalist army, the Red Army and the CCP leaders undertook a treacherous year-long journey through western and northern China. During this trek, they encountered dangerous terrain, perilous climate, starvation, disease, harassment and hostile tribes.
How many casualties were caused by the Long March?
Approximately 160,000 Red Army soldiers and CCP cadres embarked on the Long March, with fewer than 15,000 making it to Shaanxi. Ultimately, the enormity of these losses suggest that the Long March was a failure, but CCP propagandists manufactured their own account of the Long March, portraying it as a tale of inspiring heroism, human endeavour and self sacrifice.
What happened during the Battle of Xiang River?
By November, the Red Army had crossed into the Hunan province, where they encountered a sizeable force of Nationalist troops. In the Battle of Xiang River, which followed, the Communists lost 40,000 soldiers in just two days - its heaviest defeat during the Long March. By mid-December, the Red Army, which had set out from Jiangxi with around 86,000 men, was down to around 30,000.
What was the Zunyi Conference?
Following the CCP’s disastrous losses at Xiang River, the Party was forced to review its tactics and, thus, held the Zunyi Conference in January 1935. The Zunyi Conference was a monumental event in the CCP’s history, with Red Army commanders being replaced with a new trio of Mao Zedong and his allies, Zhou Enlai and Wang Jiaxiang.
What was wrong with the routes that Mao led Red Army soldiers on?
Mao, sometimes, ordered unlikely or circuitous routs to evade or confuse the Nationalists and their warlord allies. Traveling through Yunnan and into Sichuan, the Red Army crossed the Great Snowy Mountains, where they faced mountainous heights of up to 5,000 metres and low oxygen concentration, causing soldiers to die from altitude sickness, exposure, frostbite, avalanches, falls and other devastating injuries. Thousands more were killed while moving through the dreaded ‘grasslands’ and, also, from ethnic groups that the Red Army encountered along the way. Many soldiers died of malnutrition or starvation and were, often, brought to boil boots, gun straps and other leather to make ‘beef soup’. Nonetheless, the Communists did benefit from the support of sympathetic farmers, who welcomed the Red Army into their villages, gave them food and tended to the sick and wounded.
What happened at Luding Bridge?
One significant point of contention surrounding the Long March is the events at Luding Bridge, a crossing over the Dadu River (just west of Yan’an). According to official Communist histories, Luding Bridge was the scene of a fierce battle with Nationalists in May 1935. Under heavy fire from the other side, regiments of the Red Army stormed across the fragile chain bridge, defeating the Nationalists and securing the area. Eyewitness accounts collected recently suggest that the bridge was manned by a handful of disorganised warlord soldiers, who turned tail and fled after seeing the approaching Red Army.
How successful was the Long March, overall?
Accounts of the Long March highlight Mao Zedong’s brilliance as a tactician and military strategist, but there is also evidence to suggest that the Red Army’s heavy losses and the Long March’s meandering route through western China were the result of Mao’s blundering and poor planning. Almost 80 years later, historians continue to debate the Long March and its true meaning.
Why did Mao and his companions choose to live amongst the peasantry in the Yan’an Soviet?
In Yan’an, Mao and his companions chose to live in small caves, which, in northern China, were traditional dwellings. Living in Yan’an caves saw an improvement in the standard of living following the Long March and, thus, nurtured feelings of camaraderie and achievement for many members of the Red Army. Mao, also encouraged his companions, along with other intellectuals, to live and work among the peasants, which helped Mao to rally up support; the way in which the CCP received followers was through the way in which they were treated, in oppose to through idealogical conversion. While some growth was driven by coercion, the Communists’ victory was largely caused by propaganda and efforts to offer support.
How did Mao recruit for the Red Army in the Yan’an Soviet?
As the Red Army soldiers were now living amongst the peasants, they were able to develop relationships and, thereby, acquire support. Mao was, also, able to utilise the fact that the peasants’ lives had been improved to recruit for the Army; only when they join the Red Army - and, thus, attain control - will this improvement in their lives be maintained.
What opportunities was Mao provided with to crystallise his ideas in Yan’an?
Mao sought to win over both factions with his own ideas, which later evolved into Mao Zedong Thought (the belief that the Marxist-Leninist theory must be adapted to suit Chinese conditions, to win the hearts of the peasantry so that they might become the driving force of the revolution). When the situation had reached a state of relative stability in Yan’an, Mao spent a lot of time writing, which allowed his authoritarian methods to flourish.
What were the Rectification Movements?
In 1941, Mao initiated the Rectification Movement, which lasted around three years. Beginning as a program for study and discussion of Mao’s writings, Rectification soon involved self-criticism and ‘struggle sessions’, where comrades were expected to publicly denounce their own failings. With the help of Kang Sheng, Rectification spiralled into a sweeping purge of Party members, many of whom were tortured, imprisoned or executed. Although Mao was confronted by a backlash, by 1944, his leadership was undisputed and Mao Zedong Thought was cemented into official ideology.
How did Mao increase his credibility with the international community?
Many visitors contributed to the promotion of the ‘Yan’an Spirit’, by reporting utopic visions of Yan’an. Edgar Snow and George Hatem, for example, were the first Americans to visit the Red Army base in 1936 and remained there for several months. When Snow’s influential Red Star of China was published, in 1937, it shaped American perceptions of the time, painting the Communists as austere and patriotic. For the next three years, around 19 visitors made the trek and most returned with glowing reports, increasing Mao’s credibility with the international community. Among them was the writer, Agnes Smedley, who taught Communist leaders to dance, and the Canadian surgeon, Norman Bethune, who established mobile operation theatres in Yan’an. As few of these visitors spoke any Chinse, they were only able to see what the CCP hierarchs wanted them to see.
What do the Three Main Rules of Discipline and the Eight Points for Attention tell us why the Red Army was successful?
Abiding by the Three Rules and Eight Points provided a sense of structure within the Red Army, which heightened the Army’s strength and, thus, enabled them to overcome the GMD. Mao believed that, in order to win over the peasantry, he must treat them with respect. When, at a later point, it came to fighting the GMD, the Army’s relationship with the people was rather important as it allowed the Red Army to carry out its guerrilla warfare tactics.
Why was Mao Zedong Thought so popular?
Having spent a lot of his time reading and thinking about Communist ideas, Mao, famously, decided that he disagreed with the conventional Marxist thinking and, instead, believed that China had to have its own path to revolution which reflected the situation in China. Mao Zedong Thought emphasised the importance of the peasantry, mass mobilisation, art and literature and continuous revolution. Mao, unlike other Communists across the world, understood that he must mobilise the peasantry to win.
What challenges did Mao face while at Yan’an?
In January 1937, the Communists moved to Yan’an, where they stayed for the next 10 years. Although Mao was a dominant leader in the CCP, he was challenged by Zhang Guotao, whom, in 1938, defected to the GMD. He, also, faced the threat from a newly arrived Bolshevik, Wang Min. Mao agreed that unity was needed but, too, knew that he needed to keep the CCP separate from the GMD. Mao also recognised the importance of the Soviet Union but he was a Han Chinese foremost, which gave him huge popularity in China. Mao’s status, by the time of the Politburo meeting in 1941, was almost secure, with the exception of opposition from Wang.
What were Mao’s Rectification Campaigns?
Mao began the process of consolidating the support of the Communist Party, which meant that people had to admit their past errors and accept that Mao’s way was the best. Often done by force, many were killed in the process but, at the end of the day, Mao Zedong Thought had been accepted. While, on the surface, the Rectification Campaigns was concerned with educating the masses and purifying the CCP, it was later exposed as a way of identifying, marginalising, intimidating and removing members that opposed Mao and his leadership. He was, therefore, able to establish himself as the undisputed leader and figurehead of the CCP. Rectification was driven by terror tactics and violence and, though estimates vary, around 10,000 deaths were caused by Rectification.
How significant was the 8th Route Army and New 4th Army in the Yan’an Soviet?
Both 8th Route Army and the 4th Army had been established, with the latter being made up of soldiers left behind during the Long March. In the Japanese-controlled areas, Communist-controlled fighting groups began to appear. Estimated to be at around 88,000, in December 1939, the Communist forces had grown to 400,000 men, in 105 regiments, on the eve of the battle.
Why was the Hundred Regiment Offensive important in the Yan’an Soviet?
Although Mao did not trust attacks on powerful foes, in 1940, the Hundred Regiment launched an offensive against the Japanese, causing heavy casualties on both sides of the fighting. Ultimately, the CCP did little fighting against the Japanese but their propaganda made out that they did. Mao’s objective was to control the peasantry and to consolidate the CCP’s position for future conflict.
How significant was the CCP’s relationship with the peasantry in the Yan’an Soviet?
With Mao’s strategy being to win over the masses, Mao’s policies were rather popular during the war. The CCP replaced the policy of exterminating the gentry and landlords by limiting rents. Mao had the ability to improve village life, by stamping out corruption and improving literacy across the country.
Why were the Three Rules and Eight Points important in the Yan’an Soviet?
Mao imposed the Three Main Rules of Discipline and the Eight Points for Attention with the intention of improving discipline across the Chinese Communist Party. Abiding to the Three Rules and Eight Points provided a sense of structure within the Red Army, which heightened the Army’s military strength. Mao’s thought was that, in order to win over the peasantry, his soldiers must treat the local population with respect, which was enforced by the Rules and Points.
How was Mao faced with Chiang’s troubles?
After 1941, Chiang became worried about the Communists, meaning that relations became worse between the two. Chiang attacked the New 4th Army, stating that they were not allowed to operate south of the Yangtze. In January 1942, thousands of Communists troops were killed by Nationalists. Not only did the 4th Army survive, it allowed the Communists to spread the idea that the GMD had been treacherous and it was the CCP that had made many sacrifices.
What was the significance of the 8th Route Army offensives in the Yan’an Soviet?
Between 1944 and 1945, the Communists began to take more control over local leadership and sent their cadres into rural areas to purchase grain and advance credit. The Communists’ counter-offensive expanded: the peasants organised self-defence forces and militias, while Mao began urging his comrades to work in the big cities. In 1944, the Communists had taken 5,000 small forts, killed or wounded 260,000 and captured 60,000, while 30,000 puppet soldiers came over to their side. The 8th Army, now, had control over many cities and, by the end of the war, claimed 950,000 square kilometres in 19 liberated zones. Regular armies had 910,000 troops, the militias 2,300,000 and the village self-defence units 10,000,000.
Why was the expansion of the CCP significant?
Mao was rather successful in expanding the CCP’s membership, partly due to the fact that he said that no one should be excluded. In 1937, the number of members was at 40,000 and, following WWII, it was at 1,200,000. Many Chinese intellectuals believed that Yan’an represented a utopian society, when compared to the corruption and repression of the GMD. Many moved to join the CCP and were shocked when they found that Mao did not tolerate criticism and severely limited free speech. In 1945, the CCP was in a strong position but its domination of China had not been secured.
What were the strengths of the GMD?
The GMD was the official government of China and, in this position, the GMD received help from other countries, such as the United States of America. It controlled most of China’s major cities. As a result, the GMD controlled factories and could produce weapons, vehicles and other essential goods. The GMD, also, controlled the most densely populated parts of China. Therefore, the GMD controlled around 75% of the population. Forces totalled 2.5 million soldiers, which was twice the number of Mao’s Communists, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). It had some popular support: some citizens believed that Chiang was responsible for China’s victory in the Second World War. The USA gave the GMD economic and military aid, as the USA did not want the CCP in control.
