The Origins of the Civil War, 1936 - 1946

Question 1

In 1936 China was nearing the end of what some called its …… decade , fill in the gap.

Answer 1

Golden decade, after the successful conclusion of the northern expedition in 1928, and the moving of the capital city from Beijing to Nanjing, China experienced its most politically stable period in generations, this was a period of reform and economic growth. In 1931 a provisional constitutuin was published, followed by a national assembly. The legal system was reformed.

Question 2

The GMD gov was authoritarian and corrupt and the publication of a provisional government didn’t change this, at local level how was it unfair?

Answer 2

At local level most headmen continued to be appointed by magistrates rather than elected by the people. This shows how corrupt they were.

Question 3

Why didn’t the authority of the GMD government extend over the whole of China

Answer 3

As there were still many warlords who only excepted GMD rule on condition that they kept their private armies. Also from 1931 onwards the Japanese began extending their dominion over Manchuria in the north of China.

Question 4

After the GMD campaigned to eradicate the communists (CCP) , how did the CCP survive?

Answer 4

They survived by establishing a new and remote base area around Yan ‘an.

Question 5

What is a headman?

Answer 5

A government official at the level of a village.

Question 6

What did the GMD invest in that helped businesses grow?

Answer 6

The development of transport infrastructure, with new roads and railways and even the development if streamer services on China’s rivers. Together with improvements to the telegraph and postal services helped Chinas businesses to grow.

Question 7

Shanghai became one of the leading centres in the world for …

Answer 7

Film production and literary culture.

Question 8

Why was the Chinese country side a lot different to the cities at this time?

Answer 8

The vast majority of its population lived and worked, the picture was very different. Although they began to make village schools, education was beyond reach of most peasant families and healthcare was minimal and they relied on traditional Chinese medicine. Infant mortality was high and life expectancy low

Question 9

When was foot binding outlawed?

Answer 9

1902, but it was still widespread until the 1930s

Question 10

What was a concubine?

Answer 10

Mistresses kept by rich and powerful men within their households, they weren’t the same as wives they were treated like sex slaves.

Question 11

What did the Japanese present to China in 1915 ?

Answer 11

They presented the 21 demands, this included increased rights for japenese expliotation over Manchuria and Inner Mongolia, and placing of Japenese police and economic advisers in the north of China.

Question 12

How did the Chinese government of Yuan ShiKai react to these demands?

Answer 12

The government of Yuan ShiKai was too weak to reject these demands however they did reject the demands that would have given Japan outright political control over China

Question 13

China were part of the allies in ww1, in the 1917 peace conference held in Versailles , What did the allied leaders agree on that impacted China ?

Answer 13

They agreed on permanent Japanese control over Shandong, this triggered outrage and protests in China but the government was to weak to resist.

Question 14

When did Jiang Jieshi become leader of the GMD?

Answer 14

1925

Question 15

How did Jiang consolidate his power between 1925 and 1936 ?

Answer 15

He did this by concentrating key positions in political and military power structures into his own hands and by using the police and army to remove any opposition to his rule

Question 16

Where was Jiang sent for military training?

Answer 16

He was sent to Moscow for military training before returning to China in 1924

Question 17

What was Jiang’s dad?

Answer 17

Jiang was the son of a salt merchant.

Question 18

What was the NRA?

Answer 18

The GMDs national revolutionary army

Question 19

In 1927, Jiang abandoned his first wife and married Soong Mei-Ling, who was she the daughter of?

Answer 19

A rich business man, they were a wealthy family and she had been educated in the USA, a country in which she retained close connections. One of her sisters married Sun Yat-sen, whilst the other was married to a rich financer T.V.Soong.

Question 20

How did marrying Soong Mei-ling help Jiang ?

Answer 20

Through his marriage, Jiang gained important connections to the political and business elite of Shanghai as well as to the Americans, Jiang made his wifes brother (T.V.Soong) Finance minister in his government in 1928.

Question 21

Where did the GMDs main support come from ?

Answer 21

It came from landowners and wealthier peasants. Jiang also had close links with gangsters, especially in Shanghai.

Question 22

As well as leader of the GMD, Jiang was chairman of the State council, what is this equivalent too?

Answer 22

This is equivalent to the president.

Question 23

Jiang created the GMDs Central Political Institute , What did this do ?

Answer 23

It trained young men to become future leaders of China, the training emphasised loyalty to the leader.

Question 24

Jiang also created the Military Bureau of statistics, what was this ?

Answer 24

This was a secret police organisation that had a network of spies to infiltrate opposition groups, the Bureau also used torture and carried out political assassinations.

Question 25

Jiang also established the bandit suppression headquarters, what was this ?

Answer 25

This organisation had the power to take over any area in which communists were active

Question 26

In 1927 Jiang established the Opium suppression Bureau, what was this?

Answer 26

The bureau allowed gangsters who controlled the drug trade to continue their work as long as they split profits with the GMD. This gave Jiang valuable funds to support his political activity.

Question 27

Who was big ears DU?

Answer 27

He was the president of the opium suppression bureau and was later appointed as a general in the army

Question 28

What did Jiang do to strengthen his grip on the political and cultural life of China?

Answer 28

Strict censorship was imposed on the press, books and cinema, any signs of radicalisation among students was immediately supressed as he had control over the education system.

Question 29

What were Sun Yat-sen’s “three principles of the people”?

Answer 29

• Nationalism - this aimed to make China united, economically and militarily strong, free from foreign influence, China wanted to end all the unequal treaties with foreign powers and an important first step to this was achieved in 1928 when China regained control over its customs revenues.
• Democracy - Their version of democracy was diffrent as they didn’t want to copy western thinkers, jiang said that democracy must not be allowed to weaken the country by allowing to much personal liberty too soon.
• Political Livelihood - Sun knew that one massive problem in China was poverty within Chinese society, however he offered only very vague ideas on land reform and the equalisation tax burden on the people, under Jiang very little progress was made on the tax issue and none whatsoever on the land issue because of the reluctance from the landlords.

Question 30

Who did the CCP look to for advice and assistance

Answer 30

Russia-marxism

Question 31

in 1923 what happened between the GMD and the CCP?

Answer 31

The first united front was formed

Question 32

How did the CCP survive the attacks from the GMD in 1934?

Answer 32

The long march, the surviving communist forces trekked 6000 miles to reach Yanan, only 5000 of the 8000 survived it, this was a serious defeat leaving the CCP very weak.

Question 33

Name some of the most important ideas from Mao Zedong thought?

Answer 33

Importance of peasants as a revolutionary class, national self-reliance, continuing revolution, class struggle, learning from the poeple, mass mobilisation, a national revolution.

Question 34

Why did Mao argue for a united front with the GMD?

Answer 34

As he believed that winning the sino-japenese war was the peoples priority, so he wanted both the parties to work together to defend the country.

Question 35

instead of radical land reform which might have upset landowners who could be potential allies v the Japanese, how did the CCP approach land reform

Answer 35

They focused on rent reductions for the poorer peasants and measures to improve their farming methods, this changed back to radical reform after the breakdown of the united front in 1946.

Question 36

what type of social reform did the CCP plan to implement

Answer 36

Ending the practice of arranged marriages and gave women more freedom of choice and economic opportunities. Also steps were taken to improve literacy among the peasants.

Question 37

At the start of the Sino-japanese war, on the 7th July 1937 what happened at the Marco Polo Bridge

Answer 37

near Beijing, the Japanese army, who owned the south Manchurian railway, were conducting night exercises when one of their soldiers went missing, although Chinese soldiers werent involved in his disappearance, he was found soon afterwards, and the Japenese commander used this as an excuse to attack the Chinese. After giving an ultimatum for Chinese troops to withdraw the area, the japs launched an assault on Beijing and the surrounding area, Jiang declared that the endurance limits have been reached and decided to prepare for a full scale war.

Question 38

What was the Xian incident

Answer 38

The CCP proposed a second united front to take down the japenese, many military commanders agreed and some disagreed, the young marshall disagreed and this led to the xian incident. This was when Jiang was visiting Xian in 1936, he was taken prisoner by the young marshalls troops, however the CCP claimed that Jiang was the only leader who could lead the country in a war against the Japenese but he had to agree on a United front with the CCP, Jiang would not sign a written agreement but said he would accept a united front. Jiang was released and returned to nanjing

Question 39

what was involved in the Second United Front

Answer 39

-The CCP accepted jiangs leadership, and the communist military were placed under the leadership of the NRA. However this was never fully implement due to mutual suspicion. However they were to co0-ordinate their efforts in the war v jap.
- The GMD was to seize its operation against the CCP in Yanan and elsewhere
- There would be finacial support for the communists forces from central government.
- The GMD would end its political repression the national political consultative council which had members of the GMD and CCP in it, however in practice the NPCC have very limited powers and Jiang retained his autocratic power over the gov in China.

Question 40

name some of the impacts of the Sino-Japanese war:

Answer 40

• rape of nanjing - in Dec 1937 the japs attacked GMD forces in Nanjing, during which at least 100,000 - 300,000 chinese died, many were shot and burned. Many of the chinese women were raped and killed.
• the yellow river indident, jiang saw the japs were andvancing his way so he destroyed the retaining dykes causing a devastating flood over this area. This did slow japanese but destroyed 1.4 million acres of farmland. this also left more than a million people homeless and unable to feed themselves
• over the whole period of the war its believed that between 3-4 million Chinese soldiers were killed and between 10 and 20 million were killed.
• the international standing of China changed positively, the USA declared China was its main ally against Japan, in 1943 us and Britain gave up all territorial rights on the Chinese mainland and in nov 1943, Jiang was invited to a conference in Cairo with Churchill and Roosevelt where it was agreed that after Japan were defeated, Manchuria and Taiwan would return to China.
• however, in the Yalta conference in 1945, Roosevelt agreed to the restoration of soviet rights in Manchuria, at the same time USSR made a friendship treaty with China which recognized the GMD as the legitimate government in China