Chinese Civil War: The Rise Of The Chinese Communist Party

“The people and the people alone, are the motive force in the making of world history.” This quote by Mao is key to understanding Chinese Communist Party (CCP) thought, especially during the Chinese Civil War and the war of liberation from the Japanese. These events were key to the CCP’s eventual victory over the nationalists. They were key not only in terms of military victories, but in persuading the Chinese people that the CCP cared for them far more than the “authoritarian” nationalist. And that a nationalist China would lead to the return of imperialism and misery for a majority of peasants. They were able to show that they were in tune with the people’s thought through an opposition to Japanese imperialism, its ability to organize people …show more content…
During the mid-1930’s Mao spoke out against Chiang Kaishek, the leader of the GMD, and his continuing attacks on the Red Army. Even as the Japanese were invading main land China (Karl 54). This decision to put the responsibility for the Japanese conquest of China was successful in gaining popular support for the communist, and while also weakening the nationalist (Lecture 10/29). It was during this period that the two sides formed the second united front to confront the coming Japanese invasion (Karl 54). However, unlike the first united front this one had two independent sides, the communists and the nationalists. Mao planned to use this division to show the superiority of the communist, as well as gain, more followers to his cause. This was all before the major Japanese invasion it would be at that point the communists would gain even more popular …show more content…
The force that lead to the defeat of the GMD was the Chinese liberation army who used their eight point covenant to gain the support of the masses (Chen 562). Mao’s ability to rally the masses allowed the CCP to defeat the better armed GMD in a short and bloody civil war (Karl 72). Another major key the CCP victory was the ability to use the peasantry, who viewed the CCP as their saviors, to defeat the GMD in the North of China (Karl 72). It was due the CCP giving the people, especially the lower class, a sense of hope for the future that the CCP was able to use them in their final conquest of China. An example of this hope is explained by Xie Pei-lan “If I joined the Revolution I would have my freedom,” this quote shows that the people in China believed that the CCP could give them more freedom then the GMD (Video 28:47 Xie Pei-Lan). It was the CCP’s ability to connect to the masses that allowed them to defeat the GMD and unify China under a Communist