Chinese Civil War
Causes
The Chinese Civil war took place after the revolution in 1911. The revolution overthrew the Manchu dynasty, the Republic formed afterwards had failed to hold china and continue relations with foreign powers, this was largely due to the lack of any strong central government. The war was to see whether the Communists or the Nationalists would restore order and regain central control over China. The war began in 1927 but was interrupted by the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese but started again in 1946 after the war win japan was over.
Mao ZedongMao Zedong became a founder member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Mao and other Communist leaders set out to reshape Chinese society. Industry came under state ownership and Chinese farmers began to be organised into collectives. All opposition was ruthlessly suppressed. The Chinese initially received significant help from the Soviet Union. Mao wanted to introduce a more Chinese for of Communism so he launch the "Great Leap Forward". This aimed at mass mobilization of labor to improve agricultural and industrial production. The result, instead, was a massive decline in agricultural output, which, together with poor harvests, led to famine and the deaths of millions. The policy was abandoned and Mao's position weakened. Mao attempted to reinsert his authority so he decides to start the cultural revolution in 1966. his aim was to purge the country of what he thought to be impure elements and revive the revolutionary spirit. 1.5 million people died and much of the country's cultural heritage was destroyed due to this. In September 1967, with many cities on the verge of anarchy, Mao sent in the army to restore order. Mao appeared victorious, but died on September 9, 1976
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EventsThe Civil War can be dated from 1927 but usually refers to the struggle for China from late 1945 to late 1949. The Americans brought Mao Zedong and Jiang Jieshi together for peace talks in Chongqing in 1946 but their peace pact was short lived and fighting quickly resumed. Life during the Civil War was severely impacted by economic problems including hyperinflation, mass unemployment, inadequate reconstruction of industry and large numbers of refugees. By early 1949 Beijing had fallen to the CCP and as other major cities across China fell, the CCP declared victory by proclaiming of the People’s Republic of China in October 1949. The ‘liberation’ of China, however, resulted in millions of civilian causalities at the hands of both sides. Jiang Jieshi fled to Taiwan and set up the Republic of China, maintaining that he was the legitimate leader of mainland China. His regime was bankrolled with riches taken from the mainland.
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