The Chinese Revolution

The Chinese Communist Revolution

In the wake of the Second World War, rebellion in the face of rampant nationalism swept across China. The perceived exploitation by capitalism and landlordism of the proletariat drove communist forces away from unity, whilst the destruction of communism entrenched in Chinese political society displayed China to be a two-tier society. The exploitation and manipulation so prevalent in nationalist methods, in war and otherwise, aroused the communists into revolt, and a distant drive from timid acceptance, to disruption of the status quo.

In a flurry of revolutionary fervour, the Communist Party of China was set up in 1921. It took its inspiration from the Russian Revolution four years earlier and initially aligned with Chiang Kai Shek’s nationalists. Strikes in 1925 kicked off in a display of solidarity and unity with strikers in a Japanese owned cotton mill. 12 of the demonstrators were killed by police, and the workers’ response to such a display of authority was profound. Within a few weeks, Shanghai and Canton were under the tutelage of a general strike, and a workers’ soviet was set up in Canton, with one delegate for every 50 workers. Communists had successfully organised labour, and established the workforce as a strong force against oppression, and one that wouldn’t simply accept blind authority. The Northern Expedition saw the alliance of nationalists and communists between 1926 and 1927 to purge the nation of warlords that proved to be a roadblock to a strong central government. The communists were swiftly discarded in 1927, when they were purged from the nationalist party, many being killed in the ‘White Terror’. Around 50,000 communists were killed, with 5,000 Guomindang officials seeing the same fate. The end of unity and lack of a common enemy signified the division exploited so strongly and created the dynamic of communists and nationalists being sworn enemies. The communists and their opponents were now firmly pitted against each other.

Divisions between the communists and the nationalists were intensified following the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. The communists again offered cooperation with nationalist forces to repel the foreign invader, although it was far more divided. Concurrent with the Second World War, unity was over clouded by nationalist suspicion of communism. The New Fourth Army of the CPC was ordered to evacuate the provinces of Anhui and Jiangsu, signifying the nationalist focus on the fight against communism. Divisions were stoked even further by rampant suppression of dissent by Chiang Kai Shek, according to US officials. By the end of the war, it was the reds who had contributed a vast amount to the struggle against the Japanese. The Soviet Army forced the surrender of 700,000 Japanese troops stationed in Manchuria, and conquered Northern Korea, Inner Mongolia, Southern Sakhalin, Manchukuo and the Kuril Islands. The Soviet advances proved to be a key factor in Japan’s surrender, and ultimately showed the communist USSR to be a key ally in China’s national struggle, and one that could be helpful in the communist cause.

Manchuria proved to be a key battleground for the USSR and their attempts to harness influence in China. Red Army troops were stationed there following its liberation, whilst the Soviet Union supplied raw materials to rebuild its infrastructure. Moscow granted Mao a loan to help prepare for war. The foundations for a revolution were evident in China. By 1946, civil war had broken out, and it appeared extremely likely that the People’s Liberation Army would win. Millions of peasants had joined and fought in the war, whilst popular support for the communists was vast. Corruption in the ranks of the Guomindang had provided for a collapse in public support for it. Following the nationalist flight to Taiwan, Mao Zedong proclaimed the People’s Republic of China in October of 1949.

Ultimately, nationalist failures in governance provided a justification for communism. Vast authoritarianism and corruption in government led to a general stance that the Guomindang weren’t worth supporting. The communists provided an alternative – a greatly different alternative, which seemingly rejected the faltering nationalist methods of government. Divisions between nationalists and communists were prevalent since the establishment of the CPC in 1921, and they fundamentally allowed the communists to organise into a movement with influence; one that could galvanise the people into action, and one that gradually led to the breakup of nationalist China.

References

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