Chinese Civil War Flashcards
Causes, Practices, and Effects (43 cards)
What were the economic causes of the Chinese Civil War?
- European imperialist exploitation of China
- The Opium Wars weakening Qing control
- The Taiping Rebellion leading to regional fragmentation
- Peasant unrest due to rising rents and land shortages
- Failure of the Self-Strengthening Movement
Who promoted Communism and focused on peasant support during the Chinese Civil War?
Mao Zedong (CCP)
What was the political cause related to the Boxer Rebellion?
The Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901) was a violent anti-foreign uprising that led to national humiliation and deepened anti-imperialist sentiments.
What significant event occurred during the 1911 Double Tenth Revolution?
Military revolts led to the abdication of the Qing dynasty’s Emperor Pu Yi.
What type of rule did Yuan Shikai implement after the Qing dynasty’s fall?
Military dictatorship
What was the Warlord Era?
A period after Yuan Shikai’s death where China fragmented into provinces controlled by warlords, causing severe hardships for peasants.
What were the territorial causes of the Chinese Civil War?
Both the CCP and the GMD sought to unify China under their leadership, leading to armed conflict over territory.
Fill in the blank: The May Fourth Movement (1919) was a response to the _______.
Treaty of Versailles
What was the First United Front?
An alliance between the GMD and CCP to eliminate warlords and restore national unity, encouraged by the Soviet Union.
What event marked the end of the First United Front?
White Terror (April 1927), when GMD forces massacred thousands of Communists.
What was the Long March?
A strategic retreat where about 86,000 Red Army soldiers broke through GMD lines, lasting 368 days and covering up to 12,500 km.
What was Mao’s revolutionary strategy focused on during the Civil War?
- Defeating the GMD
- Base area formation
- Political mobilization
- Defensive warfare
- Expansion phase
- Protracted war
- Final offensive
What was the significance of the Second United Front formed in 1937?
It was a temporary truce between the GMD and CCP to resist Japanese invasion, allowing the CCP to expand influence.
What were the impacts of the Sino-Japanese War on the GMD?
- Economic devastation
- Reliance on foreign aid
- Heavy military losses
- Decline in popularity
What strategies did the CCP use during the second phase of the Civil War (1946-1949)?
- Guerrilla tactics and mobility
- Popular support through reforms
- Transformation of the PLA into a conventional army
- Control of the countryside
What led to the GMD’s decline and collapse?
- Economic crisis
- Military errors
What was the impact of the Long March on the CCP?
- Solidified Mao’s leadership
- Became a foundational myth of CCP legitimacy
- Created a core group of Communist military elite
True or False: The CCP initially had strong military strength during its early stages.
False
What did the GMD’s focus on the CCP first lead to?
Public backlash and loss of patriotic support.
What transformation did the PLA undergo under Lin Biao?
The PLA evolved into a conventional army capable of engaging in large-scale offensives.
How did the Communists utilize captured resources during the Chinese Civil War?
They capitalized on captured GMD weapons and absorbed defecting soldiers.
What was the CCP’s strategy regarding control of the countryside?
The CCP focused on consolidating rural areas before moving on to urban centers, surrounding and isolating GMD forces.
What economic crisis contributed to the GMD’s decline?
Continued inflation and poor governance led to economic collapse and widespread discontent.
What military errors did Jiang commit during the civil war?
He committed troops to hold Manchuria, far from his power base, leaving central and southern China vulnerable.
