Renewed Civil War, 1945-49

*The People's Republic of China (PRC)

Full scale civil war, 1946-49

Proclamation of PRC, Oct. 1, 1949

*Mao Zedong

Wild Swans, Ch. 7

Theories of CCP Victory

Internal vs. External factors

Originate in U.S. political debates of 1950s

Compare with “Loss of Afghanistan” debates today

External explanation

“Loss of China” (Spence, pp. 477-8)

Red scare

Republican attacks against Truman administration and State Department

Internal explanation

"The Nationalist armies did not have to be defeated; they disintegrated." US Secretary of State Dean Acheson, 1950 (Quoted in Spence, p. 472)

Superpower Policies toward Chinese Civil War

U.S. Ambassador Patrick Hurley

Mao and Chiang meet in Chongqing, Aug.-Oct. 1945

*George C. Marshall

Army Chief of Staff, WW II

Special Envoy to China, 1946-7

Blamed both sides

Secretary of State, 1947-9

Moderate financial support
No US combat troops

External explanations common in U.S. in 1950s

American “Loss of China”

Lack of aid to the GMD

Revisionist arguments

Soviet Union’s weak aid

Occupation of Manchuria, 1945

Permitted CCP infiltration

Dismantled factories

Recognition of GMD, 1946

National interests

Rebuilding USSR

Building iron curtain in Eastern Europe

Japan’s occupation, 1931-45

Weakens GMD

Strengthens CCP

Anti-Japanese Nationalism

Revisionist Internal Theories: CCP Victory

CCP success in gaining control of countryside

Nationalism

Socioeconomic reform

Land distribution
Tax reform
Rent reduction

Discipline of army and officials

Wild Swans provides insights

Revisionist Internal Theories: GMD Defeat

Corruption

*Hyperinflation

Yuan in circulation

1.3 billion, Jan. 1937

25 million billion yuan, Dec. 1948

Ineptitude of war effort

Military strategy Manchuria

450,000 troops lost

*Chiang Kai-shek

Resigned, 1/21/49

Retained position as Chairman of GMD

CCP Transition to Conventional Warfare

Manchuria 1947-48

Rapid advance southward and eastward, 1948-49

Beijing surrenders, Jan. 1949

Nanjing surrenders, April 1949

Chiang Kai-shek retreats to Taiwan, June 1949

Resumed presidency of Republic of China (ROC), 3/1/50

Martial law

Died 1975

The People’s Republic of China (PRC)

Proclamation of PRC Oct. 1, 1949

Mao Zedong

Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan

Old National Assembly in Session, 1950-91

Chiang Ching-kuo

President, 1975-1988

Lifted martial law, 1987

Economic prosperity since 1970s

Democratic elections

Legislature, 1992
President, 1996

Wild Swans, Chaps. 7-8

1. Jung Chang’s mother was about your age when she was married and had her first child in 1950 at age 19. How do her experiences compare the typical college student in the U.S. today?

2. As depicted in Wild Swans, Chapters 7, what was the security situation in China as the newlyweds travel from Manchuria to Sichuan in the southwest?

• What was the security situation like in Sichuan Province after their arrival?

3. Based on the experiences of Jung Chang’s parents, how did the mother and father differ in their approaches to being good communist party members?

• Is the husband being fair to his wife when she has to walk while he is riding in the jeep? Why did he think he was doing her a favor by not giving her a ride?
• How did their affiliation with the CCP complicate relations with both of their families after their arrival in the father’s hometown of Yibin?

4. How does the mother’s application to become a CCP member provide insight into how the party controlled its members? Why does was her party boss, Mrs. Mi, who was from a peasant family in the countryside recommend against her application to be a member? (1st ed., pp. 163-5; 2nd ed., pp. 156-9)

• What aspects of the traditional culture were held in check by the control system?
• How did the traditional culture influence the nature of the control system?
• What were the benefits and drawbacks of these controls?
• How do the controls help to explain the CCP’s victory over the GMD?