Establishing Communist Rule | Civil War Aftermath Flashcards
(30 cards)
What was the Second Sino-Japanese War?
Military conflict between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan
How long did the Second Sino-Japanese War last?
From 1937-1945
What was the First Sino-Japanese War?
Conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and Empire of Japan for supremacy in Korea.
How did the First Sino-Japanese War end?
China signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki, ending the First Sino-Japanese War. China relinquished all claims to influence over Korea, which became a Japanese protectorate
What did the First Sino-Japanese War prove?
The weakness of the Chinese empire
Why had China undergone dramatic changes before the Communist Party seized power in 1949?
After the Qing dynasty of emperors was overthrown in 1911, China entered a period of chaos with rival warlords fighting to establish control
What broke out after the Second Sino-Japanese War?
A civil war between the GMD and Communists
What happened in December 1949?
After the defeat of the GMD in the civil war, Chiang fled to join the remaining of his forces in Taiwan, leaving Mao and the Communists in control of China
How was WW1 favourable to the Communists in China?
As the Communists had extended areas under their control, they proved capable of organisation, in comparison to the Nationalists who had squandered opportunities for so long
How was Mao’s reputation as a military leader strenghtened after WW1?
Mao’s reputation as a military leader was strengthened by the way he supervised successful transition from guerrilla to open warfare
How was Mao regarded once WW1 was over?
As the architect of new China, he had the devoted loyalty of the Chinese Army (PLA)
What did Mao intend to use his power to do once WW1 was over?
Restore stability to China by making all political opposition impossible
Why did Mao want to make all political opposition impossible?
It was a lesson he learned from observing the difficulties faces by Chiang whose ability to control China was made more difficult by the political factions inside the GMD
Before the War, where else had Mao made all political opposition impossible?
In Yanan, where he had imposed his personal authority and suppressed all opposition
What was Mao’s intention for the new political system?
He wanted a political system where all power lay at the top, in the hands of the CCP, reinforced by military power when necessary
What lesson about support did Mao learn from the civil war?
The Reds treating the peasants more fairly than the GMD and organising land distribution from wealthy landowners to peasants were successful strategies that attracted peasant support to the Communists
What was the immediate impact of the civil war on China?
Damaged economy, hyperinflation China's industrial output dropped Famines Lack of industrial development Most advanced industrial areas were in Japanese hands
Why did China’s industrial output drop after the war?
The Japanese seized the most productive areas as they advanced.
Japanese bombing raids damaged Chinese industries and so did scorched-earth tactics of retreating Nationalists
What was China’s industrial output after the civil war?
China’s industrial output stood at 25% of its pre-war level
Why were there famines in China after the civil war?
Disruption of agriculture caused by the conscription of peasants to fight in the rival armies
War time food requisitioning was necessary to feed both the army and the cities, but this would continue to be the case after 1949 due to:
the size of PLA and continued growth of urban population
What was food production in 1945 reckoned to be?
30% lower than it had been at the start of the war 1937
What province in China had suffered a famine accounting between 2 and 3 million lives?
Henan province
How was China’s finances devastated by war years?
The GMD had paid for the war by borrowing and printing money, which caused hyperinflation by 1945
In 1949, the inflation rate stood at 1000%
Chiang took China’s foreign currency reserves with him when he fled to Taiwan
How did the geography of China affect it’s agricultural output?
Despite covering huge land, only 15% of the land in China was cultivable, so the scope for increasing agricultural output was limited unless techniques were modernised
