The Reasons Communists Won the Civil War from 1945 to 1949

The Reasons Communists Won the Civil War from 1945 to 1949

During the eighty years of war between Japan and China, four million

Chinese people were killed and another sixty million made homeless.

During this time there had been continuous up-roar between two

political parties. These being the CCP and the GMD. Whilst the CCP

were aiming to rid Japan and China of foreign influence, as well as

aiding Peasants, the GMD was more focussed on attacking the CCP.

The group that came out stronger than at the start of the war with

Japan was the CCP. The policy of the CCP was to drive out the

Japanese, and this attracted a lot of support. The bravery and

determination of the communist soldiers also won increasing support

for the CCP across China.

Chiang Kaishek, leader of the GMD refused to fight the Japanese at

first. He only began to fight them in 1937 when other GMD leaders

forced him to. Chiang said that that the CCP had to be defeated first.

Chiang's decision not to resist the Japanese was against the burning

patriotic feelings of the Chinese people. It was a foolish and costly

decision to ignore it. The GMD became increasingly corrupt as

officials competed for personal power and influence. Inflation grew

rapidly and the power of the warlords began to grow once again. The

GMD lost more and more support.

From 1945 both the CCP and the GMD tried to take of as much territory

as possible. The GMD occupied most of southern China, but the CCP took

the north of China and a Civil War became inevitable. Manchuria was

occupied by soviet troops at the end of the war and they allowed the

CCP to move in.

The Americans did not want the communists to win control of China.

They organised a gigantic airlift to fly 80,000 of the best GMD troops

to Nanjing, Shanghai and Beijing. From these key cities of the GMD

soon seized control of the eastern coastal area. The Americans did

not, however want a civil war in China.