China After World War II
Civil war is raging in China. Across the plains of Manchuria troops of
Chiang Kai-shek’s central government are battling for supremacy
against the military forces of the Chinese Stalinists. With the
generous aid of American imperialism, Chiang Kai-shek succeeded, in
May, in capturing the strategic town of Szepingkai. Next, the
Stalinists were ousted from Changchun, the Manchurian capital. The
fall of Kirin followed. At this writing (early June) Chiang’s forces
are being deployed for an assault on Harbin, the last important
Manchurian urban center in Stalinist hands. All these cities had been
invested by the Stalinists when they swept into Manchuria from North
China in the wake of withdrawing Soviet troops.
Chiang’s easy victories over the Stalinists are testimony to the
military superiority of his forces, thanks largely to the supply of
modern weapons and munitions furnished by the American imperialists,
who, moreover, placed ships and transport planes at Chiang’s disposal
for the deployment of his troops to Manchuria. The weapons of the
Chinese Stalinists, although augmented by arms seized from
surrendering Japanese troops, are no match for the war equipment at
Chiang’s disposal. This disparity of weapons compels the Stalinists to
withdraw from the cities to the wide open spaces, to avoid head-on
battles, and in general to adhere to the methods and tactics of
guerrilla warfare which they have been following for the past 18
years. More important, however, than this unfavorable relationship of
military forces is the fact that the Stalinists have no real political
base in the urban centers. Moreover, ...
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... Assembly, elected on the basis of free,
direct and universal suffrage, in order to raise the partial and local
struggles to an all-national level. The revolutionary demand for a
plenipotentiary National Assembly, combining both legislative and
executive functions, must be sharply counterposed to the plans of
Chiang Kai-shek to summon a hand-picked, and therefore fraudulent,
National Assembly. It must likewise be counterposed to the treachery
of the Stalinists in trying to form a coalition government with the
bourgeoisie.
By all these means the Trotskyists will succeed in winning to their
banner the best proletarian militants, the bravest peasant fighters,
the best among the radical intellectuals. Thus will they build the
revolutionary party that will lead the tormented people of China to
their socialist victory.
On the 8th December 1941 at 8:00AM, just six hours after the disaster of Pearl Harbour, the Japanese launched a devastating attack on the almost defenceless Hong Kong. This attack however was not proceed by a declaration of war and therefore broke international law. The two opposing sides were: The British, Canadian and Indian forces who were defending Hong Kong (Lead by Major-General Christopher Maltby) with a side of just 14,000 thousand troops, versus the stronger and war-trained 52,000 Japanese troops (Lead by Lieutenant General Takishi Sakai).
Throughout, 1900- 1950 there were a number of changes and continuities in China. From the fall of the dynasties to the rise of the Communist Party, these changes shaped China’s government and society. Although, many political changes were made multiple continuities were held constant such as, consistent rebellions and the lack of democracy.
China's Economy and Society in the Late 1940's and 1950's. In 1945, the war with Japan ended. It left China's economy and society in a ruins. The country is divided into two.
Salisbury, Harrison E., and Jean-Claude Suarès. China: 100 Years of Revolution. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1983. Print.
Today, Japanese and Korean civilizations are advanced, wealthy, and independent with their own system of government and religious beliefs due to the influences from China. The majority of Asia experienced changes in government and dealt with inter and intra state conflicts when the countries were most susceptible to influences from alliances made with other countries. The Tang Dynasty/ Silla alliance shaped the future of Korea’s religious and government movements. Art and literature from China also greatly impacted Korea’s and Japan’s society and provided new insight into literary expression through new forms of poetry and a new system of writing. Religion was also a major influence because of popularity and acceptance of new views and beliefs. Agriculture played an important role in the development of Korean and Japanese civilizations because new tools and forms of irrigation led to more efficient harvesting. The bulk of Chinese influence impacted Japanese society through the Heian period and Korea was heavily influenced by Chinese culture during the period when Silla unified Korea. Although there were many factors of Chinese culture that influenced Korean and Japanese civilizations, religion and government legislation had the most impact.
The Warring States is the subject and title of Griffith’s third chapter, which gives an enlightening look at the life and times in China after the defeat of the rule of Chin at Ching Yang in 453. (p. 20) The country was divided into eight individual warring sects (with the exception of Yen...
When the Civil War in China first started, it seemed that the Nationalist Party was going to be the obvious winner. They had outnumbered the Communists three to one, and they even had the United States providing them almost two billion dollars in aid money. Unfortunately for the Nationalists, this didn’t help much. Many of the officers within this party were corrupt and almost none of the money was put towards equipment for the army. But even with this major advantage of having more men, they did not win in the end. There were several policies and actions in which the Communists took to enable them to defeat the Nationalists in the civil war that was dreadfully long. The Communists had made a large effort in order to gain the support of the
The short story by Eileen Chang fully reflected the turmoil in China during the Japanese occupation in the 1940s. For decades, Japan has been trying to dominate China with incidents like the first Sino-Japanese war in 1894 where the two powers fought each other for the control of Korea. When Japan attacked Shanghai in what was known as the Battle of Shanghai in 28 January 1932, student bodies fought back and that resulted in the second Sino-Japanese war in history. Understandably the people of 1940s had extreme hatred for the Japanese due to the violence that Japanese military exercised on the country and its citizens. Strained political relationships in the city led to countless assassinations of Chinese government officials who worked ...
China’s ruling party at the time was the Kuomintang (KMT). They had toppled the Qing emperor, but they were unable to truly unite the country. In 1923, the KMT and the CCP briefly allied to defeat the warlords in Northern China, but this was not an alliance that we meant to last; the KMT leader Chia...
The Chinese revolution of 1949 Introduction The declaration of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949 by the Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong signified a revolution in China that brought an end to the costliest civil war in Chinese history between the Nationalist Party or Kuomintang (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that had lasted a period of 22 years from 1927 to 1949. The Chinese revolution of 1949 signified the beginning of an era of Communist rule ushered in by the popular Chinese Communist Party at the expense of the Nationalist Party. According to historian Michael Lestz, the Communist victory was an inevitability that was aided by the actions of the preceding Nationalist government (Lestz, 2010). Lestz states that the weakness and administration ineptitude displayed by the Nationalist Party in economic, military and civil affairs created an environment that was conducive for the Communist Party to prosper.
people on to the side of the CCP. The CCP’s victory was also down to
Hsueh, Chun- tu, The Chinese Revolution of 1911: New Perspectives (Hong Kong: Joint _____Publishing Co., 1986), pp.1-15, 119-131, 139-171
Communism is a system of government, a political ideology that rejects private ownership and promotes a classless, stateless society based on common ownership of all property and the means of production, where by all work is shared and all proceeds are commonly owned. Communism is practised in China, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos and Cuba. However most of the world’s communist governments have been disbanded since the end of World War II. Soon after the Japanese surrendered at the end of World War II, Communist forces began a war against the Kuomintang in China. The Communists gradually gained control of the country and on the 1st October, 1949, Mao Zedong announced the victory of the Communist party and the establishment of the People's Republic of China. China has been ruled by the Communist party ever since.
The alliance between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Soviet Union was formed as a result of mutual interests and the desire of both states to pursue their respective national and geopolitical imperatives. Although Chinese historical experience and Marxist ideology played a role in constructing these interests, the actions of the Chinese Community Party (CCP) reflect an overarching proclivity toward solidifying their power and securing the nascent republic. This essay will examine the multifarious factors that influenced the Soviet alliance, including relations between the PRC, United States (US) and Soviet Union in addition to PRC foreign policy and its strategic objectives.
A country’s struggle to power is much like that of two rivalling siblings. They are locked in a constant competition as they attempt to one-up the other. Countries do the same as they race against each other to produce better exports, and to attract more money into their economy. They are constantly vying against each other for the center of attention so that they are the main focal point of the international world. This competition continues until one finally relents, or blatantly falls, and allows the other to shine; much like how China is slowly managing to overtake the U.S. in terms of international influence. The success of one individual cannot remain forever, and eventually they will begin to fall. This is the current situation where the U.S. and China stand today as China is beginning to overtake the U.S. in terms of economic capability. With a superior economy, it is possible for China to overcome the challenges it faces as it moves into position as the next world power. Though, just like the pair of siblings, despite China’s recent successes, the other won’t disappear completely. The U.S. will not disappear into the background and allow China to take complete control as hegemon, or world power, and establish something akin to a uni-mulipolar system. A system where there is one main power and many already established rising powers. This uni-multipolar system allows for other countries to continuously compete for the position at the top.