The Xi'an Incident Flashcards
When was the Xi’an Incident?
December 1936.
Who was kidnapped at Xi’an? Why?
Chiang Kai-Shek because the communists believed he wasn’t doing enough to stop Japan from invading an occupying Chinese land.
What was Chiang’s approach to dealing with the Japanese invading China?
He defined his approach as ‘trading space to buy time’.
What were the key events of the Xi’an Incident?
Chiang Kai-Shek was visiting Xi’an (Shannxi province) to berate his GMD troops for being slow in crushing the Communists when he was seized by troops acting under Communist orders.
Zhang Xueliang was in charge of the seizure. He handed Chiang over to Zhou Enlai, (Mao’s closest colleague). He offered Chiang his freedom if he agreed to end his persecution of the CCP and lead a genuine resistance against the Japanese.
What did the Xi’an Incident result in?
The Second United-Front (Between the GMD and the CCP).
How did the Xi’an incident benefit the CCP?
They triumphed in what is considered a major propaganda victory because they allowed Chiang to survive and remain as the recognised leader of China. By uniting forces they put the interest of China first, fighting the Japanese was the most pressing issue.
This also meant the Communists received a rest-bite period where they were not constantly being attacked by the GMD forces.
