Long-term causes of Chinese civil war- In

Question 1

Cutoff between long and short term causes of the CSW

Answer 1

Long-term >1916

Short-term >1916

Question 2

Causes of the Chinese and Spanish civil wars

Answer 2

• Political/ideological
• Economic
• Social & religious
• Regional

Question 3

Elements of the political/ideological causes of the CSW and SSW

Answer 3

• Failure of monarchy/ruling dynasty
• Attempts at Republican government
• Role of military in politics
• Polarization of politics
• Foreign influence

Question 4

Examples of the long-term political ideological causes of the CSW

Answer 4

GMD
-Humiliation and exploitation of China by European Imperialists (e.g. Opium Wars) – this created a deeply rooted resentment for the west and its influence throughout China

Foreign Influence

-The need for a unified China against foreign imperialists from both Japan and the west fuelled a growing nationalist sentiment which brought about revolutionary ideas.

Question 5

Elements of the regional causes of the CSW and SSW

Answer 5

• Lack of central authority/unity
• Warlords
• Nationalism

Question 6

Examples of the long-term political ideological causes of the CSW

Answer 6

• Manchu dynasty was severely imposed upon the mostly Han population (death penalties for cutting off the queue) -> population was oppressed-> they were forced to accept a culture that was not theirs
• The Taiping Rebellion in 1850 was pit down by regional armies. This involvement of the regional armies began the move away from centralized control, which eventually led to the warlord era in the 1920s.

Question 7

Elements of the economic causes of the CSW and SSW

Answer 7

• Gap between rich and poor/landowners and peasants/elites and urban workers
• Land
• Lack of economic development and modernization
• Taxation
• Economic crisis

Question 8

Examples of the long-term regional causes of the CSW

Answer 8

• Taxation imposed on peasants by landlords: landlords increased rents and some peasant had to pay 80 % of their harvests to their landlords. This happened during the second half of the 19th century when the Chinese population grew by 8% but the land cultivated only increased by 1%.
• High unemployment: the poverty faced by the rural population drove many peasants to the cities, where unemployment was already high due to improved technology and cheap western imports.

Question 9

Elements of the social/regional causes of the CSW and SSW

Answer 9

• Lack of modernization/education

- Power of church/traditional or orthodox belief

Question 10

Examples of the long-term social/religious causes of the CSW

Answer 10

• Chinese resentment towards western culture extended to religion as well. The attempt of missionaries to convert the Chinese to Christianity, away from Chinese culture, furthered Chinese resentment towards the West. Disputes between the Chines and foreign missionaries in the wake of the Opium Wars (1839-1842 and 1856-1860) ultimately led to the Boxer rebellion in 1900 and the murder of over 200 Orthodox Christians.
• Another example?

Question 11

What was the impact of the Boxer rebellion in 1900?

Answer 11

The revolt was shut down by foreign intervention and China was forced to pay almost 333 million dollars in reparations. This severely weakened the already suffering Chinese economy, as well as the Qing dynasty.

Question 12

Historiography- James Sheridan

Answer 12

Believes that the war was inevitable because it could not have been avoided due to the deep divisions and completely different philosophies of the Communists and the GMD.