Communist Victory in the Civil War 1946-49

Question 1

When was Phase 1 of the Chinese Civil War?

Answer 1

July 1946 - May 1947.

Question 2

Who was Lin Biao (3)?

Answer 2

1) After graduating from the Whampoa Military Academy in 1925, he established himself as a talented military commander.
2) He displayed his skills in guerrilla warfare in the 1930s in Jiangxi and Yan’an.
3) During the Civil War, he was the PLA commander in Manchuria, and later northern China, transforming the PLA from a guerrilla force to a modern army.

Question 3

What was the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)?

Answer 3

The CCP army, after 1946, combining all various communist forces under a single command structure.

Question 4

What were the key features of Phase 1 of the Civil War (5)?

Answer 4

1) GMD offensive in the first months - established a GMD ‘corridor’ along the coast of Manchuria after capturing large cities, forcing the CCP northwards.
2) The CCP lost Yan’an, however, Lin Biao had already diverted the Eighth Route Army to Manchuria to reinforce the CCP forces.
3) CCP forced to abandon positions around the Yangzi River and lost their only non-Manchurian city stronghold: Zhangjiakou.
4) October 1946: A renewed GMD offensive failed to breach PLA defences in northern Manchuria.
5) CCP used guerrilla warfare in Manchuria, wearing down the GMD, taking control of north Manchuria by Spring 1947.

Question 5

When was Phase 2 of the Chinese Civil War?

Answer 5

May 1947 - November 1948.

Question 6

What were the main features of Phase 2 of the Civil War (4)?

Answer 6

1) May 1947: Full scale PLA attack on GMD positions - unsuccessful but GMD suffered heavy losses. GMD morale was further worn down by continued guerrilla attacks.
2) 1948: CCP changed to conventional warfare, taking Luoyang on the Yellow River in April and making gains on Shandong.
3) June 1948: CCP took Kaifeng on the Yellow River, opening up the western interior of China and threatening GMD control of Xian and Sichuan.
4) CCP victories in Manchuria in October and November isolated GMD forces from the rest of China.

Question 7

When was Phase 3 of the Chinese Civil War?

Answer 7

December 1948 - October 1949.

Question 8

Why was Stalin concerned of the CCP success in the Chinese Civil War and how did he try to intervene?

Answer 8

Stalin was worried the USA would intervene if a communist victory was inevitable, so he told Mao to halt at the Yangzi River and establish a northern Communist Republic. Mao ignored this.

Question 9

What were the key features of Phase 3 of the Civil War (5)?

Answer 9

1) January 1949: PLA offensives in northern China captured the railway junction of Xuzhou.
2) 31 January 1949: CCP take Beijing and gain control over all of northern China.
3) South China opened up after the CCP took Nanjing on April 23 1949 and Shanghai in late May.
4) After taking Wuhan in May, a CCP force, led by Peng Dehuai, struck west, taking Xian and Lanzhou in August 1949.
5) A PLA force led by Lin Biao marched south, taking Guangzhou in October, before being tasked with irradicating remaining GMD resistance in Guizhou and Chongqing.

Question 10

Why did Mao call a Political Consultative Conference in September 1949?

Answer 10

In order to elect the members of the new central government: the People’s Republic of China.

Question 11

When and where did Mao announce the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC)?

Answer 11

Tiananmen Square, Beijing, 1 October 1949.

Question 12

What happened to Jiang Jieshi after the Civil War?

Answer 12

Jiang fled to Taiwan to escape CCP capture, where he established a GMD government.

Question 13

What were the 5 military factors in the CCP victory in the Civil War?

Answer 13

1) Guerrilla warfare.
2) Tactical flexibility.
3) Morale of the PLA.
4) Discipline of the PLA.
5) PLA military leadership.

Question 14

Why was the use of guerrilla warfare so effective against the GMD?

Answer 14

Having used it against the Japanese, guerrilla warfare, used especially in Manchuria due to the terrain, enabled the PLA to wear down a numerically larger force, dominate rural areas, and strike at vital communication/supply routes. This wore down the morale of the NRA and isolated the GMD in their city strongholds.

Question 15

How were the CCP tactically flexible in the Civil War (3)?

Answer 15

1) The use of guerrilla warfare in certain areas, e.g. Manchuria.
2) The use of conventional, set-piece warfare in Phases 2 and 3 of the Civil War.
3) The willingness to concede ground, such as in Yan’an and Manchuria, so the PLA could regroup and fight under better circumstances.

Question 16

What did Mao say when ordering the retreat from Yan’an in 1946?

Answer 16

“Jiang thinks that when he seizes the devil’s lair, he will win. In fact, he will lose everything. We give Jiang Yan’an. He will give us China.”

Question 17

How did the morale and discipline of the PLA help to win the Civil War?

Answer 17

PLA troops were ideologically committed to the CCP cause, allowing them to better endure the dangers and sacrifices of a long and hard military campaign.

Question 18

How did Lin Biao and other PLA military leaders help in the Civil War?

Answer 18

Lin Biao, a veteran of the Long March and the Sino-Japanese War, and other PLA military commanders were excellent at adapting their strategy from guerrilla to conventional warfare.

Question 19

What was Jiang Jieshi’s tactical error in Manchuria during the Civil War?

Answer 19

Jiang sent his best troops into Manchuria without securing northern or central China. This spread NRA forces thinly and stretched supply lines, making them vulnerable to guerrilla attacks.

Question 20

How did incompetent leadership of GMD forces cost the GMD in the Civil War?

Answer 20

Many NRA leaders were unable to plan ahead or organise efficient supply lines, making the GMD susceptible to guerrilla attacks. Many officers stole the pay of NRA troops.

Question 21

How did Jiang Jieshi’s leadership cost the GMD in the Civil War (3)?

Answer 21

1) Jiang did not delegate to his subordinates, and tried to manage his commanders on the battlefield far away from the action.
2) Many of his decisions were contradictory and impractical.
3) Furthermore, Jiang was suspicious of his commanders, offering promotion off of loyalty, not skill.

Question 22

Why did the NRA cost the GMD in the Civil War?

Answer 22

Most of the NRA were conscripts, and lacked the will to fight. They were treated badly by their officers, further destroying their morale. They gained a reputation for brutality and ill-discipline when taking communist areas, losing support.

Question 23

What were the 5 political factors in the CCP victory in the Chinese Civil War?

Answer 23

1) Political unity.
2) ‘Democratic dictatorship’.
3) Peasant support and land reform.
4) Growth of the base of CCP support.
5) Propaganda.

Question 24

How did political unity help the CCP to win the Civil War?

Answer 24

Mao was the undisputed leader of the CCP. The Party held confidence in their leadership after the Long March, their time in Yan’an, and the fight against Japan. This impressed both lower ranking CCP members and outsiders.

Question 25

What was ‘democratic dictatorship’ and how did it help the CCP in the Civil War?

Answer 25

Democratic dictatorship was imposed on all CCP ‘liberated’ areas, where peasants and other classes could participate in mass meetings and ‘revolutionary committees’, dealing with land reform, education, health, farming and military/political training. This participation increased support for the CCP in new areas. However, the CCP still controlled all political activity and decision making.

Question 26

How did Mao use land reform to help in the CCP victory in the Civil War?

Answer 26

Rallies, organised by CCP cadres, would subject landlords and richer peasants to violence and humiliation in CCP controlled rural areas. Whole landlord families were targeted and their land was taken and given to peasants. This boosted support for the CCP amongst peasants, who were the vast majority of the population.

Question 27

How did the CCP broaden their base of support 1946-49 (4)?

Answer 27

1) Peasants and those in rural areas were attracted by communist ideals and land reform.
2) Some middle-class were drawn to the party by their patriotic fight against Japan.
3) Propaganda spread by the disciplined and respectful PLA gained support in new areas.
4) Strikes organised by the PLA in cities undermined the GMD, although support for the CCP in cities was limited.

Question 28

How did the CCP use propaganda to help in the Civil War (3)?

Answer 28

1) Posters.
2) PLA soldiers were disciplined, organised, respectful and indoctrinated in Mao Zedong Thought, representing the CCP well and spreading propaganda in new areas.
3) The CCP promised ‘national liberation’, democracy, and social reform.

Question 29

Why did the GMD lose support as the Civil War went on (5)?

Answer 29

1) The GMD had achieved none of the ‘Three Principles’ which had earnt support for the GMD in the 1920s and 1930s.
2) The GMD failed to protect national interests.
3) The GMD had neglected the livelihood of the people and were separated from them.
4) The GMD were autocratic, not democratic.
5) The GMD lost support in the cities, having not addressed their self inflicted economic problems (hyperinflation).

Question 30

How did corruption weaken the GMD government (2)?

Answer 30

1) Local officials abused their position, taking bribes and extorting from locals.
2) Taxes for administration and the army were collected inefficiently, with a lot of it failing to reach the central government, as some was stolen by officials. The GMD were forced to borrow and were permanently in debt.

Question 31

How did the GMD further lose peasant support during the Civil War?

Answer 31

The GMD used landlords’ militias to regain control of villages. Peasants feared landlord retaliation for land reform, where landlords would retake land, collect rent at gunpoint and execute peasants. This caused peasants to support the CCP.

Question 32

How did the GMD fail economically in the Civil War and what were the consequences?

Answer 32

The GMD printed more money to finance the Civil War, however this caused inflation, devaluing the currency. The GMD did not take action until the summer of 1948 through rationing and introducing a new currency. This was too late and there was economic collapse in GMD areas in 1949, with price increases being measured in the tens of thousands per cent. This drained GMD support in the cities.

Question 33

How did the USA aid the GMD in the Civil War (2)?

Answer 33

1) They supplied the GMD with large quantities of weaponry and ammunition in WW2.
2) They provided nearly $3 billion in aid.

Question 34

When and why did USA aid to the GMD cease (3)?

Answer 34

1) Jiang pressed the USA continuously for aid, whilst they saw him as an unreliable ally.
2) After WW2, the USA became focused on rebuilding western Europe.
3) After Truman was elected again in November 1948, US financial aid to the GMD ceased.

Question 35

How did the USSR aid the CCP during the Civil War (4)?

Answer 35

1) The Red Army trained and equipped the PLA in Manchuria.
2) Many PLA officers were sent to Russia for training.
3) The Red Army established 16 military training schools in Manchuria, including airforce, artillery and engineering schools.
4) The Soviets released Japanese prisoners to teach the PLA how to fly.

Question 36

What were the obstacles to Soviet-CCP relations (3)?

Answer 36

1) Long-standing animosities between Mao and Stalin.
2) Stalin’s support was always conditional.
3) Stalin was happy to exploit the Chinese communists to benefit the USSR.

Question 37

What was the primary aim of the new CCP government in 1949?

Answer 37

To bring the whole of China under its control and to establish a strong, unified state.

Question 38

What were the issues in the way of uniting China under the PRC (3)?

Answer 38

1) China’s geographical size.
2) China’s ethnic, cultural and religious diversity.
3) Armed resistance to CCP rule.

Question 39

What was the significance of Xinjiang (3)?

Answer 39

1) An area of grassland, deserts and mountains in northwest China. Economically underdeveloped, but rich in coal, oil, gold, and uranium.
2) The population were mostly Uighurs, who were Muslim, but included other ethnic groups. The Han Chinses were in a minority.
3) The USSR had established control in WW2, but withdrew after the 1949 Friendship Treaty, where Stalin ordered the provincial government to cooperate with Mao.

Question 40

Who were the Han Chinese?

Answer 40

The main ethnic group of China, accounting for over 90% of the population.

Question 41

What were ‘new liberated areas’?

Answer 41

Areas which had recently fallen under CCP control at the time of 1949. E.g. China south of the Yangzi River.

Question 42

What were ‘old liberated areas’?

Answer 42

Areas that the CCP had established a strong presence in prior to 1949.. E.g. Manchuria and north China.

Question 43

What groups did Mao refer to as ‘bandits’?

Answer 43

Forces who resisted communist rule, including GMD remnants, secret societies, and ethnic minorities.

Question 44

How did the CCP govern ‘new liberated areas’?

Answer 44

New liberated areas were governed by Military Control Commissions as the CCP lacked mass support and local organisation in these areas. These areas were also rife with ‘bandits’.

Question 45

How did the CCP govern ‘old liberated areas’?

Answer 45

As the CCP already had strong peasant support and had established control over local government in these areas, they were placed under ‘people’s democratic governments’.

Question 46

What industrial issues did the new PRC face in 1949 (4)?

Answer 46

1) Approximately half of all railway lines had been destroyed following the 10 plus years of conflict.
2) Many rivers were blocked by sunken ships.
3) Many power stations were damaged or destroyed, so cities had electrical power shortages.
4) The USSR had stripped Manchuria of most of its industrial machinery to take back to Russia.

Question 47

How did the industrial production level of 1949 differ compared to 1937 (%)?

Answer 47

Industrial production in 1949 was at 44% of its 1937 level.

Question 48

What agricultural problems did the new PRC face in 1949 (3)?

Answer 48

1) Young, working age men had left to fight.
2) Armies had marched across farmland.
3) Armies had taken food supplies for themselves.

Question 49

By how much did the level of food production in 1949 differ compared to 1937 (%)?

Answer 49

Food production in 1949 was 30% lower than what it was in 1937.

Question 50

What economic problems did the new PRC face in 1949 (2)?

Answer 50

1) Foreign trade had declined due to the conflicts, so port cities, such as Shanghai and Guangzhou had decayed.
2) The rapid inflation at the end of the Civil War caused many wealthy people to move their money to Hong Kong or Taiwan, causing a shortage in capital.