Opposition Between Chinese Revolutionary Parties in 1936

1. China

2. Why in 1936 were the 2 main revolutionary parties in China opposed to one another? • 1911- Qing dynasty collapse- Republic replaces the imperial system. • But the Republic lacks any real power- enters the war lord era- power struggle disregarded the official weak government in Peking. • This creates a desire for Chinese regeneration and a hatred of foreign rule. • This led to the growth of 2 main revolutionary parties.

3. The Kuomintang/ Guomintang (GMD/KMD) • Founded by Sun Yat-sen and led by Chiang Kai-shek after 1925. • They want the modernisation of China and an end to foreign rule. • From the 1930s, the party had its stronghold in Nanjing and it claimed to be the legitimate government of the Republic of China.

4. The Chinese Communist Party • Formed in 1921 with some support from Soviet Russia (however, important to note SU also helping out KMT). • Led by Mao Zedong in the 1920s. • However, membership remains much smaller than KMT: 1924- 500 members, bigger in 1927 with 58 thousand members.

5. United Front • At first the two parties united together under the United Front to break the rule of the warlords which they managed to do. • However, once this had been achieved Chiang turns on the Communists, wanting to completely destroy them- The “White Terror.” • By 1934, the Communists were on the brink of extinction and were trapped in their Jiangxi base by the Communists.

6. However, the communists survived and after a flight known as the Long March, set up a base/soviet in Yanan, defying the GMD and the Japanese that had begun to occupy China from 1931.

7. Communists under Mao

8. Mao’s concept of leadership • Grown up intensely patriotic, angered by China’s failings and inspired by Sun Yat-sen’s revolutionary ideas. • Led him to believe that to be a successful leader you needed total commitment and a willingness to use extreme force. • He was a Marxist dialectician and believed all progress resulted from suppression of weak by stronger.

9. Mao’s ruthlessness • If China was going to regain its greatness it needed to undergo a profound social and political revolution. • After setting up the Jiangxi soviet, Mao began to show his ruthlessness. • In 1930, he ordered the execution of 4 thousand Red Army troops- “do not kill the important leaders too quickly but squeeze out the maximum information.”

10. Mao’s ideology • Mao was an ardent nationalist- he did not fully subscribe to COMINTERN- didnt want foreign communists interfering. • The revolution was not a class movement but a national one- the Chinese needed to unite against the Japanese. • He wanted to restore China to greatness and therefore his ideology was tailored to China. • Mao believed that revolution would come from the peasants (88% of China’s population). • He redefined proletariat to mean anyone who was committed to the revolution. • He believed there was no need to wait for the growth of the industrial proletariat as the revolution would be achieved by the peasants.

11. Look at diagram on page 4

12. What did other communists think of Mao’s ideology? • Mao was ignoring the predetermined, ordered path of the laws of the dialectic • Peasant revolution was a precursor of the final proletariat revolution • China did not have an urban proletariat, therefore could not achieve a genuine proletariat revolution • In order to achieve the bourgeois stage of the revolution, they had to merge with the KMT

13. What did the CCP think of Mao’s Ideology? • Li Lisan and the 28 Bolsheviks criticised Mao for not following the Comintern instructions. • However, Mao managed to convince most of the CCP. • Mao’s Red Army took away land from the landowners and gave it to the peasants. • However, this was done in a brutal fashion and Mao’s control over the villages was authoritarian.

14. KMT under Chiang Kai-Shek

15. Chiang’s Ideology • Chiang had visited the USSR after the death but he came to detest communism. • He believed that China could not progress towards true modernity unless communism was destroyed. • Nanjing was set up as the capital. • Chiang planned to build China based on the 3 People’s Principles:

16. Chiang’s 3 People’s Principles • Preliminary Stage: witness the overthrow of China’s internal and external enemies by the Nationalist armies. • Intermediate stage: KMT dominance where people would be educated in political knowledge and values. • Final stage: Enlightened people would play their part in turning China into a full democracy.

17. Chiang believed that they had already surpassed the 1st stage and were on the 2nd stage. • Therefore, the KMT claimed the right to govern until China was ready for democracy. • This essentially acted as a justification for authoritarian control by Chiang and the KMT.

18. Believe it or not... • Comintern believed that the KMT met the criteria of a bourgeoisie revolutionary party. • It encouraged the CCP to join forces with the KMT and work towards a bourgeois revolution. • There was the insistence that the party should work on the principle of democratic centralism- a truly revolutionary party occurred when members owed absolute loyalty and obedience to the party- this worked in Chiang’s favour, although Chiang never had true authority.

19. Chiang’s social and economic policies

20. Chiang aimed to reassert control over foreign concessions- made an effort to restructure the legal system in the concessions. • Foreign commercial companies had to pay higher export and import duties- could not remove foreigners because of presence of foreign troops. • Also many Chinese people depend on foreigners for employment. • Foreigners also boosted China economically and financially.

21. Chiang’s New Life Movement • The need for Chinese people to unite and crush communism by: • Moral Revolution: duty of the Chinese people to elevate their country’s ethical standards by returning to Confucian values of social harmony and rejecting communism and Western capitalism. • Fighting corruption- set up youth organisations such as boy scouts • Pledge of loyalty to KMT included in marriage vows.

22. Weakness of New Life Movement • The government had to deal with the disreputable elements in Chinese society- opium trade and gangsters. • Difficult when Chiang gets crucial assistance from drug dealing underworld. • Chiang wanted to follow a socialist path and end China’s reliance on capitalism- his need for foreign investment and heavy military costs meant that he could never abandon capitalism.

23. KMT’s Basic Problems in Government • Poverty: famines caused the death of 30 million people and despite claims there was no sustained Nationalist effort to deal with the issue- failed to end landlord control and protect peasants. • Govt faced resistance from local ruling factions and warlords still held sway in a no of provinces. • KMT mainly made up of merchants and businessmen- could never be a mass party • At no time did Chiang’s govt control more than 1/3 of China or 2/3 of population. • In reality did not implement 3 Principles but only represented particular minority interests.

24. Nationalist Record

25. Sino-Japanese War • Japanese occupied Manchuria in 1931. • 1937- occupation turned into a full- scale war. • 2 distinct phases: • 1937- 41: Japanese made rapid advancement down Eastern seaboard to which Chinese responded with resistance, retreat and appeasement. • 1941-45: Chinese struggle became part of WW2- China an ally of USA.

26. Xian Incident • Trading space to buy time- Between 1931 and 1936, Chiang’s response to Japanese was unambitious- he believed that China was too big for Japan to occupy without exhausting themselves. • Not everyone agreed with Chiang and when he visited Xian province, he was handed over to the communists. • Zhou offered to spare his life if he promised to end his persecution of CCP and lead resistance against Japan. • The fact that the CCP allowed Chiang to survive gave them good propaganda- willing to band together for China.

27. Chiang had to agree to: • Wage unceasing war against Japan. • Cease all attempts to suppress the CCP • Recognise the CCP (however, Chiang later went back on this and attacked the CCP) • Lead a new United Front.

28. 1st Phase: Marco Polo Incident 1937 • Minor clash between Chinese and Japanese troops • Japanese used the clash as a pretext- in order to prevent further trouble, KMT must give more power to Japanese • Chiang refused and declared war- he activated the Xian agreement made 7 months earlier. • The second United Front between KMT and CCP was formed.

29. Reasons for the failure of the United Front • Marriage of convenience, not a genuine alliance. • CCP & KMT fought separately-mutual distrust meant that they rarely acted as a combined force. • Chiang’s principal aimed remained the defeat of the CCP- victory over Japan was a means to that end. • By 1938, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou & Nanjing had fallen to Japan.

30. Hundred Regiments Offensive of 1940 • 1940- under the command of PengDehaui, CCP forces undertook a series of attacks against the Japanese. • Had reasonable success for 2 months: • Overrun a number of Japanese garrisons • Over 950kms of railway lines destroyed, damage to roads, bridges and canals

31. Japanese retaliation- “kill all, burn all, loot all” • Japanese responded with a terror campaign against all those who had supported the communists- whole villages systematically destroyed • By Dec 1940, Japan had regained all lost territory. Over 100 thousand communists, a ¼ of force were killed

32. Recriminations in the CCP • Mao dismissed PengDehaui- not just for being defeated but for damaging CCP reputation. • Mao was also angered that the defensive had revealed the true size of the PLA to Chiang. • Chiang exploited the CCP defeat to renew his attack on them • Jan 1941- Nationalist forces inflicted 4 thousand casualties on retreating CCP forces

33. Rape of Nanjing • By 19 Dec 1937- Nanjing fell to the Japanese who were all ordered to “kill all captives.” • 300 thousand Chinese were slaughtered during 4 weeks. • 20 thousand girls raped regardless of age. • Half of the city burned to ashes • Shooting, bayoneting, soaking in petrol, setting on fire.

34. Chinese collaboration with the Japanese • In an effort to wreck the weak United Front, Japan offered to recognise Chiang as legitimate leader. • Chiang refused. However Wang Jingwei took Japan up on the offer. • Wang Jingwei became head of New Government of China. • He denounced Chiang and his rival govt lasted 4 years but never as popular as KMT & CCP.

35. 2ND Phase: China and Japan at war 1941-45 • Pearl Harbour changed Sino-Japanese conflict into a global conflict • China was seen as chief means of defeating Japan- USA supplied them with vast resources and gave political and military boost. • US influence did not bring immediate release but increased Japanese pressure.

36. Continued KMT & CCP Rivalry • By 1940, fighting between the 2 sides had broken out again. • Between 1940-1945- 2 wars going on- national war of resistance against Japanese and CCP& KMT civil wars. • As USA increased attack on Japanese mainland- Japan limited forces in China. • War ultimately ended with dropping of atomic bomb.

37. Mao’s rectification of conduct campaign 1942-1944 What methods did Mao use to enforce his leadership? • Maoism was a body of social, political and economic truth that all CCP members had to accept. • Mao believed unless there was a constant struggle against error, there would be betrayal from within. • Party members had to engage in public self-criticism and study prescribed texts. • Kang Sheng organised purges- wanted to punish revisionists.

38. Effects of the rectification of conduct campaign • 60 communists party officials committed suicide rather than undergo public humiliation- Mao said “ they do not understand that the party’s interests are above personal interests.” • Show trials such as Wang Shiwei, terrified CCP members and they came forward to engage in public self-criticism.

39. Consequences of conduct of rectification campaign • Mao rid himself of opposition and consolidated his position as a leader. • He triumphed over the pro-Moscow wing of the party • He moved towards cult status in Yanan • Mao was elected as Chairman of the Central Committee of the CCP in 1943 • By 1945, the Japanese war came to an end. Mao referred to as Great Helmsman.

40. Impact of end of Japanese occupation • Impact of the end of the war: • The war had come too early for Chiang- he wanted the communists to beaten and for him to be the overall victor. • But the Japanese had surrendered to many of Mao’s forces. • He did not have the expected US forces and the Soviets had occupied Manchuria which was a limitation for him.

41. 2. Communist Salvation: • The end of Japanese occupation saved the communists as it weakened the KMT and saved them from a KMT attack. • The CCP gained occupation of over 19 liberated areas. • CCP went from a fringe political party to an internationally recognised one.

42. 3. Chiang and the USA: • The USA recognised Chiang and saw him as an important world figure. • However, he was a difficult ally- more preoccupied with beating communists than Japanese. • USA didnt like the fact that the KMT conscript army lacked whole-hearted support and was unpopular. 4.USA and CCP • Mao asked USA to recognise that they were agrarian reformers. However, USA did not shift allegiance

43. CCP and KMT conflict over Japanese surrender • Mao ordered Red Army to occupy former Japanese regions and receive formal surrenders of the Japanese. • But Chiang insisted that the Japanese surrender to them and maintain discipline until Nationalists arrived. • Anxious to prevent Soviets in Manchuria, MacArthur declared only Chiang to receive Japan’s surrender. • Mao accepted this- he needed sympathy and recognition from the rest of the world.

44. Final Breakdown • USA hoped to bring the 2 rival parties together for a power sharing agreement. • March 1945- Chiang broke off negotiations and said he had no intention of sharing power with CCP. • Aug 1945- Chiang and Mao met face to face- all for show though. Even Marshall agreed compromise was impossible. • The KMT were worried the Communists would not accept Chiang. • The CCP doubted whether the KMT would honour their promises. • Civil war broke out in June 1946- was to last for 3 years.