Out of the ashes of Imperial China arose two new contenders to lead a reformed nation; the Chinese Nationalist Party, the Kuomintang, and the Chinese Communist Party. In 1927, the inevitable clash between these two political parties led to a bitter civil war that would last for 23 years, through World War II and into the Cold War period. The brutal struggle finally concluded when Communist forces captured Nanjing, capital of the Nationalist Republic of China, irrevocably altering the course of China's future. Dr Michael Lynch sheds light on this cruel civil war that ultimately led to the establishment of the People's Republic of China.
In this fully illustrated introduction, Dr Michael Lynch provides a concise overview of the Chinese Civil War, a defining conflict in world history. Between the end of World War II and the dawn of the Cold War, one of the most important conflicts in modern history reached its climax. In this illustrated history, bestselling historian Dr Michael Lynch examines how the long struggle between Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists and Mao Zedong's Communists exploded into an intense, brutal and ruthlessly fought civil war. Delving into the political background and complex ramifications of the conflict, he assesses Mao and Chiang's millions-strong armies, their strategies and commanders, and the critical campaigns that won and lost China. By 1949 the Nationalist government was defeated and in exile in Taiwan, and the new People's Republic of China was ready to emerge as a major Cold War power. Updated and revised for the new edition, with full-colour maps and new images throughout, this is a concise study of one of the bloodiest conflicts of the 20th century and its significant repercussions, the issues around which remain unresolved today.
This book examines the Third Chinese Revolutionary Civil War of 1945–1949, which resulted in the victory of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over Chiang Kaishek and the Guomindang (GMD) and the founding of The People’s Republic of China in 1949. It provides a military and strategic history of how the CCP waged and ultimately won the war, the transformation its armed forces and how the Communist leadership interacted with each other. Whereas most explanations of the CCP’s eventual victory focus on the Sino-Japanese War of 1937–45, when the revolution was supposedly won as a result of the communists’ invention of "peasant nationalism", this book shows that the outcome of the revolution was not a foregone conclusion in 1945. It explains how the eventual victory of the communists resulted from important strategic decisions taken on both sides, in particular the remarkable transformation of the communist army from an insurgent / guerrilla force into a conventional army. The book also explores how the hierarchy of The People’s Republic of China developed during the war. It shows how Mao’s power was based as much on his military acumen as his political thought, above all his role in formulating and implementing a successful military strategy in the war of 1945–49. It also describes how other important figures, such as Lin Biao, Deng Xiaoping, Nie Rongzhen, Liu Shaoqi and Chen Yi, made their reputations during the conflict; and reveals the inner workings of the first political-military elite of the PRC. Overall, this book is an important resource for anyone seeking to understand the origins and early history of The People’s Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army.
Between the end of World War II and the dawn of the Cold War, one of the most important conflicts in modern history reached its climax. With China's Japanese occupiers now defeated, the long struggle between Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists and Mao Zedong's Communists exploded into an intense, bloody and ruthlessly fought civil war. By 1949 the Nationalist government was defeated and in exile in Taiwan, and the new People's Republic of China was ready to emerge as a major Cold War power. Engaging and surprising, this new history delves into the political background and complex ramifications of the Chinese Civil War, as well as assessing Mao and Chiang's millions-strong armies, their strategies and commanders, and the critical campaigns that won and lost China. --Book Jacket.
"Out of the ashes of Imperial China arose two new contenders to lead a reformed nation; the Chinese Nationalist Party, the Kuomintang, and the Chinese Communist Party. In 1927, the inevitable clash between these two political parties led to a bitter civil war that would last for 23 years, through World War II and into the Cold War period. The brutal struggle finally concluded when Communist forces captured Nanjing, capital of the Nationalist Republic of China, irrevocably altering the course of China's future. Dr Michael Lynch sheds light on this cruel civil war that ultimately led to the establishment of the People's Republic of China."--Bloomsbury Publishing.
Many books have tried to analyze the reasons for the Chinese communist success in China's 1945_1949 civil war, but Suzanne Pepper's seminal work was the first and remains the only comprehensive analysis of how the ruling Nationalists lost that war_not just militarily, but by alienating the civilian population through corruption and incompetence. Now available in a new edition, this authoritative investigation of Kuomintang failure and communist success explores the new research and archival resources available for assessing this pivotal period in contemporary Chinese history. Even more relevant today given the contemporary debates in Hong Kong and Taiwan over the terms of reunification with a communist-led national government in Beijing, this book is essential reading for anyone seeking a nuanced understanding of twentieth-century Chinese politics.
This book examines the Third Chinese Revolutionary Civil War of 1945-1949, which resulted in the victory of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. It provides a military and strategic history of the conflict, exploring how the communists achieved victory.
Essay from the year 2010 in the subject Orientalism / Sinology - Chinese / China, grade: "-," - (Scholarly Circle Atlanta, Georgia), language: English, abstract: The Chinese civil war is one of the key events of 20th century. The victory of the Communists over the Nationalists determined the Chinese history over several generations and defined international relations in East Asia throughout the Cold War era and after. The civil war in China represents not only the clashes of armies, but also of nations and classes. As all civil wars it represents furthermore a traumatic and painful process within a people with atrocities on both sides and horrendous suffering of combatants and civilians. The civil strife between the Nationalists and Communists on mainland China had begun in the 1920s, coming to a head right after the end of World War II in 1945, when the Communists began the successful drive that won them final control over China in October 1949. From then on China was under the rule of Mao's Communist Party with one exception: Taiwan. The island southeast of mainland China was ruled by Chiang Kai-shek. Since 1949 the world has dealt with two Chinese states: the People's Republic of China or PRC in mainland China under the Communists and the Republic of China or ROC in Taiwan under the Nationalists.
Many books have tried to analyze the reasons for the Chinese communist success in China's 1945_1949 civil war, but Suzanne Pepper's seminal work was the first and remains the only comprehensive analysis of how the ruling Nationalists lost that war_not just militarily, but by alienating the civilian population through corruption and incompetence. Now available in a new edition, this authoritative investigation of Kuomintang failure and communist success explores the new research and archival resources available for assessing this pivotal period in contemporary Chinese history. Even more relevant today given the contemporary debates in Hong Kong and Taiwan over the terms of reunification with a communist-led national government in Beijing, this book is essential reading for anyone seeking a nuanced understanding of twentieth-century Chinese politics.