War and revolution 1930-1949

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Nanjing decade
3. Rural communism: The emergence of Maoism
4. The Long March and Yan'an experience
   1. Important events that happened during the Long March
   2. Impact of the Long March
   3. Yan'an: The new revolutionary base
5. War with Japan
   1. Stage one: 1937 to 1938
   2. Stage two: 1939 to 1944
   3. Stage three: 1944 to 1945
6. Nationalist and Communist ideology 1937-1945
7. The Chinese Civil War
8. What historians say
9. Task: The reasons for the victory of communism in China

1. Additional resources:
   1. Glossary
   2. Print content

The Chinese Civil War

By the end of 1945 the Nationalists moved back to Nanjing confident of a successful future because of their many advantages over the Communists.

The Nationalists:

• had international recognition as the legal government of China, and held a permanent seat on the Security Council of the United Nations
• had the support from the United States of America, a post-war superpower
• had an air force and an army of nearly three million
• had a well-recognised leader who had once made front page of Time magazine.

The Communists:

• were not recognised as an important political force in China
• were not trusted by the Americans
• were not trusted by the Russian communists
• possessed an army estimated to be around one million.

By 1949, however, a complex interplay of divisive forces including ideology, army morale, leadership and national acceptance had destroyed the basis of Nationalist power.

During the Chinese Civil War the Nationalists lost further support from the Chinese people. By 1949 intellectuals, nationalists, peasants, the middle class and industrialists finally rejected Jiang Jieshi's government.

Open this link to learn more about the main stages of the Civil War.

Open this link and complete the questions The Chinese Civil War .

Click on the 'open' button below to access the activity.

Anti-Nationalist cartoon 1947

Text alternative

The anti-Nationalist cartoon below shows a stressed Jiang Jieshi holding a well-worn knife. He is hiding behind a shield promising a peace plan. He has a plaster on his head symbolising a high level of stress.

Cartoon entitled 'I will kill after sharpening the knife' 1947. Reproduced with the permission of Tao Ye.

This cartoon was created by Hua, an anti-Nationalist cartoonist whose work was published by the Communists in the Yan'an area. He was blacklisted by the Nationalists, his work censored and he was branded a traitor. This cartoon provides an example of Communist propaganda during the Chinese Civil War. The caption for this cartoon reads 'I will kill after sharpening the knife'.

1

The symbols of the cartoon above include: the shield on which is written 'Peace plan' and contains a symbol of a lion meaning war a caricature of Jiang a worn and chipped knife being sharpened a black patch on Jiang's head to suggest he has suffered a stress headache Jiang's western style boots Using these symbols, clearly explain the message of the cartoon. Have you included some of the following in your answer? Jiang Jieshi is looking sly and is hiding behind a shield of words which promises peace. He is sharpening his well-worn knife which will probably be inadequate (like his troops) while the headache patch reflects he is stressed or worried. He is watchful behind a shield on which are written promises that he is not going to keep. The cartoon illustrates his determination to destroy his enemy, the Communists, and that he is a liar whose words cannot be trusted.