The History of~The Chinese Civil War (Part 1: Prelude & Round 1)

The Chinese Civil War came at one of the most pivotal and the most inconvenient times in world history. Not only was it to be put on hold for a bigger, more deadlier conflict in World War 2, but it also helped ramp up the impending Cold War.

This is Part 1 of a 2-Part wiki page series about the Chinese Civil War. In this part we will cover the Prelude to the war and some of the pivotal battles and events.

For this part, I once again am getting the aid of Oversimplified, a YouTube user who specializes in history.

## Prelude

China had existed for over 3,000 years, and in that period of time, China was ruled by a series of Emperors and local warlords who were in constant war with each other. The Qing Dynasty was the biggest and the last Dynasty China would have, and by the 19th Century the Qings lost a lot of their legitimacy over China as they suffered defeat in both Opium Wars from 1840 to 1860.

To make matters worse, China went to war with its Far East neighbor; Japan in the "First Sino-Japanese War" in the 1890s for control over the Korean Peninsula, and suffered a humiliating defeat as they lost Korea and Taiwan to the Japanese.

Eventually, the Qing Dynasty's death knell would come in 1912 with the "Xinhai Rebellion as it saw the otherthrowing of the Dynasty and ending the Chinese dynasties. With it, China established a Republic.

The Republic of China (led by a man named "Sun-Yat-Sen") faced heavy resistance from loyalists to the now dead Qing Dynasty, and in 1914 a loyalist named "Yuan Shikai" ousted Yat-Sen and established his own empire until the Qing's heir (Puyi) had come of age and re-establish the Qing Dynasty, but Shikai would die in 1915, allowing Yat-Sen to return and re-establish the Republic.

Still, the struggles would continue in China as the remaining loyalists of the Qing Dynasty would even perform bombing runs (though not on the scale of WW2). After the Qing loyalists were dealt with, Yat-Sen was able to cement his republic, though he would fail to gain support from the west (such as Europe and the United States), and then sought out the Soviets to help.

## Round 1

With Yat-Sen's death in 1925, China was once again in turmoil and it all came to a head 2 years later in 1927 when 2 parties in China; the Nationalists (AKA The Kuomintang, lead by Chiang Kai-Shek) and the Chinese Communist Party (the CCP led by Mao Tse-Tung) are now fighting for supremacy in China as the Communists launched an attack in the city of Nanchang on August 1, and thus the Chinese Civil War would begin (known as the "10-years war" in China).

Chiang Kai-Shek and Mao Tse-Tung may look like sweet old men, but Oversimplified has something to say about that.

Thank you again, Oversimplified. Check out at the end of the wiki page to find more on Oversimplified's Youtube channel.

By 1930, the "Central Plains War" began and what started within the KMT, it quickly turned into a plan to try to encircle areas of heavy communist activities in the countryside. Chiang wanted to destroy the encircled Communists in 5 plans, unfortunately the first 2 failed, the 3rd one had to be called off, and the fourth met with only little success as they were met with immense casualties as they try to take the very center of Mao's communist republic. By 1934, Chiang launched his 5th and final plan to destroy Mao's commies in the Chinese Province of Jianxi (which is occupied by the Communists) and he tried to do it by building "blockhouses" around the province (5 miles apart from each other) in order to cur off their supplies of food, weapons and clothing from their allies.

Though, it would work in the beginning, but by October of 1934 the CCP would eventually take advantage of the gaps between the blockhouses and break through, this would lead to a massive retreat by Mao and his communist forces, this would be known as the "Long March".

What you may not know is that the Long March wasn't just one march through China's countryside, but a series of marches to throw off the KMT. It began when Chaing's KMT forces were dealing with a force of Communist loyalists that had a force much bigger than Mao's, allowing Mao and his forces to retreat. These marches would last for about a year which (in Mao's perspective) the Communists would march nearly 8,000 Miles, and suffering immense casualties, only 8,000 of the 100,000 soldiers of Mao's forces would survive and reach the Chinese Province of Shaanxi.

### Training

In the beginning stages of the Chinese Civil War, both sides would get assistance from the Soviet Union, even going as far as using Soviet weapons and equipment.

By the 1930s, the KMT were changing their political policies, and became staunchly anti-communist and would eventually refuse aid from the USSR, but would gain assistance from the Wiemar Republic (and then Nazi Germany), even going as far as using German weapons and equipment. Eventually, Germany would pull assistance as they formed the "Axis Alliance" with Japan and Italy.

Speaking of Japan, in 1931 and seeing how the Chinese Civil War has weakened China, Japan invaded Manchuria after what they believed was a Japanese train blown up by the Chinese. But as the 1930s wore on and the Civil War putting China in a more volatile state, Japan would go a step further and invade the rest of China as they would attack the Chinese at the Marco Polo Bridge. The Japanese would invade Beijing, and even Kidnap Chiang Kai-Shek. Forcing both the Nationalists and the Communists to put their differences aside and fight against a common enemy. So, the Chinese Civil War was postponed as the Chinese would fight in the "Second Sino-Japanese War".

That'll do it for this part. In the next part (click here), we will cover on the Chinese Civil War continuing, and how the Nationalists failed (again) to take down the Communists which in turn allowed the Communists to take over China. If you want to check out Oversimplified's Youtube Channel, just click here. Until next time, this is JohnnyOTGS signing out, and another thank you for Oversimplified.