The Second Sino-Japanese War Flashcards
When did Japan occupy Manchuria?
1931
What was the Marco-Polo Bridge incident?
On 7th July 1937, a Japanese-planned clash between Chinese and Japanese troops occurred at the Marco-Polo bridge near Beijing. Chiang refused to make further concessions to Japan and declared total war.
How was dissatisfaction about Chiang’s “trading space to buy time” strategy shown by his troops?
In 1933 it took Chiang over a year to suppress an uprising among his troops at Fujian, who were reacting to his failure to confront the Japanese.
When was the Xi’an incident, and who was involved?
December 1936, where Chiang was seized by Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, NRA generals, and handed to the Communists, represented by Zhou Enlai. He offered to spare Chiang’s life if he promised to stop persecuting the CCP and lead genuine resistance against the Japanese.
Why did the CCP not assassinate Chiang in the Xi’an incident?
The CCP won a major propaganda victory - it had forgone party advantage for the good of the national resistance.
Also, since Chiang now formally recognised the CCP as a legitimate party, the Communists undermined the GMD’s claim as the sole reprsentative of the nation.
How did the United Front fail in the war?
It was never a genuine alliance: the CCP and GMD forces always fought separately, with mutual distrust, liaising rarely. Because of this, they were unable to effectively stand against Japanese military strength and had to engage in guerilla tactics. The failures of the United Front led to the loss of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Nanjing by 1938.
Why did the Communists embark on the Hundred Regiments Offensive?
It occurred in 1940, and it was to convince the GMD and Chinese people of the CCP’s dedication to the war effort. Also, it was to take advantage of the slowed advance of the Japanese, as having taken many cities they were now trying to consolidate their gains.
What were the successes of the Hundred Regiments Offensive?
In August 1940, Peng Dehuai commanded 400,000 troops to attack Japanese positions in Northern and Southern China. For two months the Communists were successful, overrunning several Japanese garrisons, and destroying 950km of railway lines.
What were the consequences of the Hundred Regiments Offensive?
Japanese forces responded with a terror campaign against areas that had supported the Communists, destroying villages and murdering many. By December 1940, the Japanese had regained the lost territory, and 100,000 Communists had been killed.
Mao dismissed Peng Dehuai for the defeat and the loss of face. Also, the offensive had revealed the size of the PLA’s forces to Chiang, who exploited the defeat in January 1941 by ambushing and raiding the Communist forces, inflicting a further 4000 casualties.
What were examples of Chinese collaboration with the Japanese?
Japan initially offered to recognise Chiang as China’s national spokesman if he abandoned his alliance with the CCP, but he refused, as this would forfeit his claim as the leader of China among the eyes of the Chinese people.
Wang Jingwei, a former left-GMD member, did take up the offer and in 1940 became head of the “New Government of China”, a puppet government. He was reviled as a traitor.
When was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour?
December 1941, Japan attacked the US naval fleet in Hawaii, trying to destroy it and make America settle on Japanese terms. The USA committed to total war against Japan.
What were the consequences of the USA’ entering the war?
China was seen by the allies as a chief means of defeating Japan, and was supplied with vast resources.
By 1945, the USA had invested over $1 billion in China.
The USA’s entry gave a great political and military boost to Chiang.
However, this didn’t immediately relieve the Chinese, as they still didn’t have enough forces to fight the Japanese head on, so had to fight with guerilla tactics. This left them unable to defend the major GMD-held cities from Japanese air bombing strikes, like Chongqing, the Nationalist capital, which had around 3000 tons of explosives dropped on it.
How did the CCP-GMD rivalry worsen during WW2?
Fighting broke out again in 1940
How did the Second Sino Japanese war end?
In 1944 Japan unleashed the Ichigo campaign, their largest offensive in China. They penetrated deep into Southern China, with Chiang’s armies unable to mount effective resistance. China was saved by the decrease of Japanese attack from 1944 onwrds, as the Allies began attacking the Japanese mainland more seriously, culminating in the atomic bombing of Japan in August 1945, and Japan’s surrender.
How did the Japanese occupation help the communists?
It diverted and weakened the GMD, which otherwise would have committed to an all out assault on the communists.
Also, after the surrender, the CCP gained control of 19 liberated areas in North East, and resisted the GMD’s attempts to regain control.
