Civil War - 1945-49

1. War With Japan:
Key Word Glossary
In groups you have 5 minutes to come up with a list of key words
relating to China’s war with Japan.
These can be key names (people/places), events and general key
historical vocab that you feel are important to understand on this
topic.
Go to http://padlet.com/rossburrough/japan and add your vocab to
the wall.

2. Civil War – 1946-49
Learning Objectives:
Examine the aims of the CCP and the GMD and what they offered to the
people of China?
Explain why the CCP won and the GMD lost the civil war?
Key Words, People &
Places:
Generalissimo
Blueshirt’s
New Life Movement
Rural Service
liberation areas
Rectification of
Conduct
Treaty of Friendship
General George C.
Marshall
Lin Biao
Strong Point Offensive

3. The Two Chinas 1945-
49
LO: Examine the
aims of the CCP
and GMD. What
did they offer to the
people of China?

4. How did Chiang Kai
Shek plan to rule?
Mussolini
‘Duce’
‘Blackshirts’
Kai Shek
‘Generalissimo’
‘Blueshirts’
Hitler
‘Fuehrer’
‘Brownshirts’
‘I believe that unless everyone has absolute trust in one man, we cannot
reconstruct the nation and we can not complete the revolution’.
LO: Examine the
aims of the CCP
and GMD. What
did they offer to the
people of China?

5. GMD vs. CCP Aims?
• Modernise China – Railways, Postal Service and
telecommunications along with developing the
countries industry.
• The ‘New Life Movement’- placed stress on public, self-
discipline and honesty.
• ‘Rural Service’ – Students sent to help peasants with
harvest
What were the GMD’s and Chiang Kai Shek’s main aims
& policies for China? How did these differ from the CCP?
Use pages 22-23 to review how these aims effected the
Chinese populous in both the GMD and CCP areas
LO: Examine the
aims of the CCP
and GMD. What
did they offer to the
people of China?

7. Communist Ideology
• In Mao’s Red base in Yenan and other ‘liberation areas’
the CCP experiment with putting their ideologies into
practice and draw supporters from all over the country;
• The CCP favour the peasantry and educate and
empower the poor;
• The Red Army gets access to education and training and
grows a fierce sense of loyalty and discipline to the
communist cause;
• The ‘Rectification of Conduct’ campaign is carried out in
1942-4 and solidifies discipline and political correctness
amongst the CCP;
• The CCP become a centralised, experienced and
cohesive force, headed by charismatic leaders.
LO: Examine the
aims of the CCP
and GMD. What
did they offer to the
people of China?

8. Why did the CCP
succeed?
• Peasants happier:
– Land confiscated
– Rents/taxes reduced
(37.5% to 20% of crop)
– Interest free loans for
peasants
– Outmoded practices
banned
– Women’s Association’s
established
– Red Army is disciplined
LO: Examine the
aims of the CCP
and GMD. What
did they offer to the
people of China?

9. China’s Priorities
LO: Explain why the
CCP won and the
GMD lost the civil
war?
• 4 million Chinese dead, 60
million homeless
• Chinese casualties
estimated to be
10,000,000
• China ravaged by war,
some towns completely
obliterated
• War weary
• Need for peace and
stability, as well as
economic rebirth

10. GMD
Legitimate rulers of
China
Politically
experienced, could
offer stability
Support amongst
educated (i.e. richer)
members of society
CCP
Revolutionaries
Growing experience but not
able to guarantee stability
across the whole of China
Promised to unleash the power of the
(uneducated) peasantry
Starting Positions 1945:
GMD v CCP
LO: Explain why the
CCP won and the
GMD lost the civil
war?

11. Which side would seem more
appealing to you directly after
the War?
Starting Positions:
GMD v CCP
LO: Explain why the
CCP won and the
GMD lost the civil
war?

12. Was their ever a
United Front?
• 1937 – Second United Front established but this
was not to last. During the war – Civil war still
engaged between communists and
nationalists;
• 1938 armed clashes began;
• 1941 the Communist New Fourth Army was
attacked, 10,000 killed or captured;
HOWEVER
• When the Japanese left the Communists were
best placed to gain more land – WHY?
LO: Explain why the
CCP won and the
GMD lost the civil
war?

14. China Post WW2
• When war ended in Aug 1945,
the CCP controlled most of the
countryside & the GMD was
stuck in Sichuan province.
• The war ended too soon for
Chiang. He was hoping that
the USA would send armies to
China to defeat the Japanese
AND communists.
• The CCP was already
accepting the surrender of the
Japanese in many areas and
taking over.
‘The CCP had
effectively won the
civil war by 1945.’
Do you agree?
Explain your opinions
in details.
LO: Explain why the
CCP won and the
GMD lost the civil
war?

15. China Post WW2
• The Allies decided that Chiang
should be reinstated as ruler of
China. Even Stalin agreed to this
signing the ‘Treaty of Friendship’
• US Dakota planes rushed 110,000
GMD troops to the cities and bases
in the north to accept the surrender
of Japanese troops & equipment
before the Communists could do so.
• In response the Communists moved
into Manchuria and captured many
ex-Japanese weapons.
Why do you
think Stalin
agreed to
reinstate Chiang
rather than Mao
as leader of
China?
LO: Explain why the
CCP won and the
GMD lost the civil
war?

16. International Context
• US yet to establish desire to completely eradicate
communism and prioritise the stability of Asia;
• Russia sympathetic to CCP, but do not concentrate on
further campaigns that may lead to more fighting;
• Both wanted to see a unified government with both parties
represented.
• Based on your knowledge of Chiang Kai
Shek and Mao’s relationship, how likely do
you think a coalition would be after WW2?
• In Dec 1945, the USA sent General George C.
Marshall to try to prevent a civil war in
China. He failed and war broke out in early
1946.
LO: Explain why the
CCP won and the
GMD lost the civil
war?

17. Which group was
stronger!
The Communists had 1.2m
members, 900,000 soldiers,
19 base areas, 90m
population but lacked
heavy military equipment
and only 600 artillery pieces.
GMD had 2.7m
soldiers, 39
newly trained
divisions, x10
artillery and
large air force.
How did the CCP live up the
Sun Yatsen’s 3 principles and
how did the GMD betray
them? How was this translated
into military success?
CCP
Strengths
GMD
Weaknesses
Political
Military
LO: Explain why the
CCP won and the
GMD lost the civil
war?

18. The Final Struggle

19. The struggle for Manchuria
July 1946 – May 1947
• The GMD immediately took the
initiative by launching an offensive
which captured most of the cities
of Manchuria except for Harbin in
the far north.
• The CCP even lost their base at
Yenan. GMD numbers, resources
and air power helped dramatically.
Chiang committed ½ million of his
best troops to capture Manchuria.
• A renewed offensive by the GMD in
Oct 1946 failed to break through
the CCPs defences.
LO: Explain why the
CCP won and the
GMD lost the civil
war?

20. July 1946 - May 1947
• After October 1946, the now
Peoples Liberation Army
(formerly Red Army) led by Lin
Biao, began to adopt an
effective guerrilla warfare
strategy against the GMD.
• From rural bases, the PLA
ambushed GMD units, forcing
them to remain in the cities.
• Railway lines were then blown
up to cut the cities off from
supplies and reinforcements.
LO: Explain why the
CCP won and the
GMD lost the civil
war?

22. July 1946-May 1947
PROBLEMS IN THE CITIES
• Civilians suffered in Guomindang
held cities – inflation (money lost its
value, wages bought less in shops)
workers went on strike
• 1kg rice rose to 1 million Chinese
dollars
• Riots and disorder rose and
people joined the Communists
• ‘Blueshirts’ tried to restore order –
Censorship of press, black lists
drawn up and systematic murder
‘To tell the truth,
never, in China or
abroad has there
been a
revolutionary party
as decrepit and
degenerate as we
are today; nor one
lacking in spirit,
discipline, and
even more,
lacking standards
of right and
wrong’ CKS 1947
LO: Explain why the
CCP won and the
GMD lost the civil
war?

23. The ‘Strong Point Offensive’
May 1947 – Nov 1948
• US Govt. given US$200mil in
military aid since 1945, but
could now see the GMD were
finished – cut further aid
• During this period, the PLA
moved from a strategy of
guerrilla warfare to one of
conventional battles with
massed forces of infantry and
artillery - Strong Point Offensive
Why was it
important to
move from
guerrilla warfare
to conventional
warfare?
LO: Explain why the
CCP won and the
GMD lost the civil
war?

24. Dec 1948 - Oct 1949
THE BATTLE OF HUAI
HAI
LO: Explain why the
CCP won and the
GMD lost the civil
war?

26. Dec 1948 - Oct 1949
• Jan 1949 - Chiang Kai-Shek
realised all was lost and fled to
the island of Formosa and
established a GMD
government and set up
Taiwan.
• Took 200,000 GMD soldiers as
well as of of China’s gold
reserves.
• From then until 1975 Chiang
Kai Shek ruled Taiwan as the
‘Republic of China’
How do you think
Chiang would
explain his defeat?
What is the legacy
of this history
today?
LO: Explain why the
CCP won and the
GMD lost the civil
war?

27. Dec 1948 - Oct 1949
• After a rest, in April 1949, the PLA
attacked key cities on the Yangtzi
River, capturing Nanjing on 23rd
April and Shanghai in late May.
• Wuhan was captured in May and
the way to the south was now
open. The army then divided:
• Xi’an & Lanzhou captured in
August.
• Guangzhou captured in October.
• Chongqing captured in November.
LO: Explain why the
CCP won and the
GMD lost the civil
war?

29. The People’s Republic of
China (PRC) Established
• By late Sep 1949, most of China
was under Communist control.
• Mao called a conference in
Beijing. 14 political parties were
represented and the
conference elected members
of the new central government
of the People’s Republic of
China (PRC).
• On 1st Oct 1949, Mao
proclaimed the founding of the
PRC and he was elected
Chairman.
LO: Explain why the
CCP won and the
GMD lost the civil
war?

30. The Chinese People have Stood up!
1st October 1949, Mao officially announces the founding of the PRC
from the Forbidden City.

31. Chiang – ‘Why have you
failed?
LO: Explain why the
CCP won and the
GMD lost the civil
war?
Which of these reasons for the victory of the Communists
refer to the CCP and which refer to the GMD. Write CCP
or GMD in the column on the right.

32. Why did the Communists
win the civil war?
Use the information in the previous slide to write a bullet
point plan for the the above question.
Lay out your points under the below headings:
• Introduction
• Strengths of the CCP
• Tactics of the CCP
• Weaknesses of the GMD
• Tactics of the GMD
• Peasants
• Conclusion
LO: Explain why the
CCP won and the
GMD lost the civil
war?

33. Homework TIMELINE This is the
other major task too.
Timeline – Ensure your
timeline is up to date,
complete and as
detailed as possible.
There will be a test on
this next lesson!