The Chinese Revolution of 1949 - UPSC PDF Download

The Chinese Civil War, which took place between 1927 and 1949, was a result of numerous factors such as social and economic issues, political instability, the rule of Yuan Shikai, the influence of warlords, and the impact of the May Fourth Movement. These various elements contributed to a prolonged and complex conflict in China during this period.

Origin of Chinese Civil War

• The origin of the Chinese Civil War can be traced back to the Shanghai Massacre and the collapse of the First United Front in 1927. However, the main conflict took place between late 1945 and October 1949, primarily involving the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Nationalists.
• Following Japan's surrender in August 1945, the CCP and the Nationalists attempted peace talks and an inconclusive ceasefire, but disagreements over who would govern China soon led to renewed conflict in 1946.
• The Chinese Civil War effectively ended when the CCP seized control of Beijing, and its leader Mao Zedong declared the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Consequently, Nationalist leader Generalissimo Jiang Jieshi was forced to flee to Taiwan, where he established an alternative government called the Republic of China (ROC).

Chinese Civil War at Glance

Title	Description
DATE OF THE WAR	1 August 1927 – 7 December 1949
WHO STARTED IT?	The Communist Party revolted against the Nationalist government in Wuhan on August 1st, 1927, in Nanchang. The Red Army was founded as a result of this struggle. The Chinese Civil War started as a result.
WHO FOUGHT IN THE WAR?	After 1927, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Kuomintang (KMT) led administration of the Republic of China (ROC) engaged in intermittent civil war.
CAUSES	Rise of Warlords, Rise of Nationalism, Rise of Communism, Socio-Economic Issues
RESULT	Jiang Jieshi was the leader of the Jiang Jieshi Nationalist Party, which fought Mao Zedong’s Communist Party. In the end, between the two factions who fought in the Chinese Civil War, Mao and the Communists won and got control of China.

Causes of Chinese Civil War

Socio-economic factors

• Around the turn of the century, China’s population grew quickly, but resource output lagged. Finally, the result was a financial catastrophe. In the end, this sparked the Chinese Civil War.

Political weakness and the influence of foreign powers

• The political landscape in China during the early 20th century was marked by significant instability and turmoil, primarily due to the ongoing power struggle between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Kuomintang (KMT). This intense rivalry between the two factions eventually escalated into the Chinese Civil War.
• In addition to the internal political strife, China was also subject to the influence of various foreign powers, such as the USSR, the USA, and Western countries. These external forces contributed to the spread of nationalist, liberal, and egalitarian ideologies within China, further fueling the conflict between the CCP and the KMT.
• For instance, the Communist Party's opposition to the Nationalist Government in Wuhan in 1927 was exacerbated by these external influences. As a result, the combination of political weaknesses within China and the involvement of foreign powers played a significant role in shaping the Chinese Civil War.

Overthrow of the Manchu dynasty

• The Manchu Dynasty was overthrown in 1911, leaving a power vacuum in China. The new administration had to deal with the country's ongoing issues with the West, such as unfair treaties and extraterritoriality brought about by the Opium Wars. One of the contributing factors to the revolution was the foreign ownership of China's railroads.
• Following the overthrow, a new agreement was being negotiated between Britain, the US, France, and Germany. This agreement would grant these Western powers authority over vast territories within China. The revelation of this impending agreement played a significant role in the Manchu Dynasty's collapse and greatly angered a large portion of the Chinese population.

Rule of Yuan Shikai

• Yuan Shikai was a prominent military leader during the late Qing dynasty in China. Following China's defeat by Japan in the 1894-1895 war, he focused on strengthening the country's military power. In 1912, Yuan Shikai was selected as the first president of China.
• However, rather than promoting democracy, he consolidated his power and eventually restored the emperor's authority. This led to growing dissatisfaction among the Chinese people towards Yuan Shikai's rule. As his popularity declined, he lost his position as a monarch. Consequently, Yuan Shikai's rule contributed to the eventual outbreak of the Chinese Civil War.

Short-Term Causes

• The demise of Yuan Shikai in 1916 led to an increase in conflict among different factions in China. Various powerful warlords, who were once part of the king's army, emerged as regional leaders due to the lack of central authority. 
• In an effort to preserve their influence in the region, Western nations engaged in negotiations with these warlords on their own terms. Some warlords only had basic governance structures in place, while others often supplied financial support for disputes between tribes or regions.

May Fourth Movement

• The May Fourth Movement, initiated in 1919, played a significant role in sparking the Chinese Civil War. This movement consisted of two major political protests that aimed to challenge the authority of warlords and resist the influence of foreign powers in China. 
• As part of the movement, students organized large-scale demonstrations to express their discontent with the warlords, the impact of Japanese foreign presence, and traditional Japanese culture in their country.

Communists and nationalists

• Some Chinese individuals believed that adopting Western models should be avoided, as the country had experienced humiliation from the Treaty of Versailles. Instead, Marxism-Leninism, or communism, was considered a more suitable alternative.
• Chinese nationalism emerged due to various factors, such as the rise of nationalism in neighboring countries like Japan and the deteriorating socio-economic conditions of China's citizens. Chinese people increasingly resented the National Government, and protests and demonstrations led by the Communists against the ruling authorities were frequent. Additionally, the growing nationalist sentiments in countries like Japan, which sought to increase control over China, contributed to the rise of Chinese nationalism.
• After attacking China in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), Japan had to pay reparations but also gained control or influence over Korea, Manchuria, Taiwan, and the Liaodong Peninsula. This further intensified nationalist sentiments against foreign powers like Japan that aimed to dominate the Chinese mainland.
• The Boxer Rebellion, fueled by Chinese nationalism and suppressed by foreign powers, heightened the political tensions within the country.

The First United Front

• To confront the warlords and bring the nation together, the First United Front was founded. Sun Yixian consented to the partnership with the Chinese Communist Party since the USSR supported the GMD (CCP).
• However, after Sun passed away, Jiang Jieshi took over, and the GMD’s northern mission was a success, the collaboration started to work against them.
• Jiang concluded that since there was disagreement on both sides, the CCP was no longer required.
• The GMD killed 15,000 or the whole population of Wuhan during a 1927 attack on the Communists.

The Timeline Of the Chinese Civil War ( 1927-1949)

Here, we outline the key occurrences and events that took place between 1928 and October 1949 during the Chinese Civil War.

Mao Zedong’s Role in the Chinese Civil War

• Mao oversaw the Jiangxi Soviet’s harsh land policies, helped to build the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army, and ultimately rose to become the CCP’s leader during the Long March when the Kuomintang (KMT) and the CCP were at war in China.

Aftermath

Social Conditions

• Feudalism, imperialism and bureaucratic capitalism were together referred to by Mao as the “three giant mountains of tyranny.”
• Feudalism imposed restrictions on the pursuits of women in rural regions, which the CCP sought to eradicate.
• Increased female freedom had long been strongly emphasized in Chinese communist philosophy.
• A number of laws were created under the CCP government that offered women more freedom to own land and file for divorce from violent husbands.

Political Conditions

• Before the conflict, China’s population had already begun to militarize, and this trend has continued.
• As a result of the war’s triumphs, Mao held a significant amount of authority over the entire nation.
• The fact that the CCP continues to run the country with an authoritarian system of governance is one of the main effects of the Chinese Civil War.
• The still-dominant one-party system in China restricts the freedoms and rights of the people.

Economic Conditions

• Since socialism had to be enforced on the entire nation, politics had a significant role in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) economic policy.
• But before communism could fully take hold, capitalism was preserved, much as the USSR did following its civil war (1918–21).
• The government chose to use market dynamics rather than forcibly seize resources after thinking about how to counter Soviet War Communism.
• The civil war made China’s economic issues—low GDP levels, high rates of inflation, and high rates of urban unemployment even worse.
• A key priority was to find a solution to the food shortage and price problem. Therefore, agriculture was crucial.

Military Conditions

• Tensions between Nationalist forces continued even after the conflict ended in 1949. Taiwanese exiles launched naval attacks against communists on the island during the 1950s, while others escaped and engaged in guerilla warfare in Burma (Myanmar). There were expectations that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) would invade Taiwan to reclaim the island for China.
• The situation changed when the Korean War began, and the US fleet was utilized to prevent potential communist invasions. This led the US to stop ignoring Jiang's precarious position. Additionally, the 1950 Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance provided 3,000 advisors to help train the Chinese military. This assistance was crucial for China to enhance their capabilities in warfare, logistics, and communication.

Conclusion

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) of The Chinese Revolution of 1949

What were the main causes of the Chinese Civil War?

The main causes of the Chinese Civil War were socio-economic factors, political weaknesses, the influence of foreign powers, the overthrow of the Manchu dynasty, the rule of Yuan Shikai, the rise of warlords, the May Fourth Movement, and the rise of nationalism and communism in China.

Who were the main parties involved in the Chinese Civil War?

The main parties involved in the Chinese Civil War were the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) led by Mao Zedong and the Kuomintang (KMT) led by Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek).

What was the outcome of the Chinese Civil War?

The outcome of the Chinese Civil War was the victory of the CCP led by Mao Zedong, who established the People's Republic of China (PRC) in mainland China. Meanwhile, the KMT led by Jiang Jieshi retreated to Taiwan and established the Republic of China (ROC).

How did the Chinese Civil War impact the social, political, and economic conditions in China?

The Chinese Civil War led to increased female freedom, an authoritarian one-party political system, a struggling economy with low GDP levels and high inflation, and the militarization of the Chinese population. Additionally, it resulted in a focus on agricultural development and a stronger military presence in the region.

How did Mao Zedong play a role in the Chinese Civil War?

Mao Zedong played a crucial role in the Chinese Civil War by overseeing the Jiangxi Soviet, helping to build the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, and rising to be the leader of the CCP during the Long March. His leadership and strategies ultimately led to the victory of the CCP and the establishment of the People's Republic of China.