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Events before the

Chinese Civil War…
The Chinese Civil War started in 1927, however the origins of the
revolution, like most revolutions, started much earlier. The
Chinese people had been ruled by an imperial emperor dating back
to 221 BCE with the creation of the Qin Dynasty. As time
progressed and new imperial families came and went, general
unrest began to set in. In 1644, the final dynasty that would ever
rule China took the throne - they were from Manchuria, a region to
China’s northeast, and were called the Qing Dynasty. The Chinese
people saw the Qing as outsiders as they brought new customs and
traditions to the Chinese court. Near the end of the 19th century,
however, the Qing dynasty had lost the confidence of the Chinese
- Sun Yat-sen, leader of the 1911
people. Chinese Revolution.

The Opium Wars greatly impacted the authority that Qing rulers maintained over the people
of China. Starting in the 1600s, Great Britain set its sights on the lucrative trade markets of
China. Over time, demand for Chinese silk and porcelain goods increased and British
authorities demanded access to the region. In 1757, Chinese officials succumbed to the foreign
pressure and began to allow British access to Chinese trade markers, but only through the
southern port city of Canton. However, as a way to gain larger access to Chinese trade
markets, the British illegally began smuggling opium into the country. The First Opium War
was launched by China to stop this illegal trade; when Britain won in 1842, the Chinese were
forced to sign the embarrassing Treaty of Nanking that gave Britain access to four additional
trade cities on the coast as well as the island of Hong Kong. In 1856, the Qing launched a
Second Opium War to limit foreign influence into China; again, China suffered a humiliating
defeat and was forced into another unfair treaty that gave Britain full control over Hong Kong,
provided special rights to foreigners, and did nothing to limit the opium flow coming across
its borders. In 1894, the Qing dynasty suffered another defeat in the Sino-Japanese War
when, due to outdated technology, they were unable to stop Japan’s influence into Korea. As
the 19th century came to a close, the Qing dynasty had lost its hold on the people.

In 1911, revolutionary groups began to emerge throughout China calling for a change. The
largest was the Revolutionary Alliance led by Sun Yat-sen and they advocated for the creation
of a republican form of government with elected officials. In an attempt to hold off the
Alliance, the Qing elite agreed to some minor reforms, including the naming of a new leader
named Yuan Shikai. This move did not satisfy the Revolutionary Alliance who continued to
claim land in the south and, eventually, seized control of the former Ming capital at Nanking.
The revolution was complete when the last Chinese emperor, the six-year-old Puyi, abdicated
the thrown on February 12, 1912. Sun Yat-sen served as the first president of the Republic of
China, founded the Kuomintang Nationalist Party, and is often regarded as the “Father of the
Nation.” However, the 1911 Revolution was only the beginning as huge regions of the country
fell to the influence of powerful warlords and, eventually, the Chinese Communist Party.

© History with Mr. E

Specializing in American and World History for late Elementary, Middle, and early High School
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Events During the

Chinese Civil War…
Shortly after Sun Yat-sen was made the first president of the
Republic of China in 1911, he realized just how difficult it would be to
gain the support of all of China. Sun found it impossible to garner
support for the new republic with the powerful warlords that
dominated northern China. Sun believed that Yuan Shikai, a Chinese
official loyal to old Qing rulers, might have better support; in 1915, he
promised Shikai the presidency if he supported the revolution and
the new republic. Even with Shikai leading China though, Sun’s
nationalist party known as the Kuomintang (KMT) faced opposition
from another organized force who had a different vision for China’s
future: the Communist Party of China (CCP). The CCP promoted the
ideas of Karl Marx, a German philosopher who believed society
would eventually experience a worker-led overthrow that seized the - A young Mao Zedong in 1927.
means of production and created a fair society for the working class.
The CCP began to rapidly grow in China following the May Fourth Movement; this took place
on May 4, 1919 and was a series 0f student-led protests that supported an independent, strong,
and educated China.

Sun Yat-sen and the KMT desired to launch a military campaign against the northern warlords
but needed the resources to do so. Only the recently-created Soviet Union agreed to help, on
the condition that the KMT allow members from the CCP to fight within their ranks. Since they
were aligned by their goal to have a unified China, the two joined forces and went to war against
the northern warlords. In 1926, the KMT launched the Northern Expedition and their victory
made general Chiang Kai-shek a military hero and he quickly became the new leader of the
KMT. However, the CCP continued to grow within the KMT and, with their support from the
Soviet Union, began actively conducting separate activities that supported their cause. To
silence his opposition, Chiang Kai-shek organized the Shanghai Massacre in 1927 in which
hundreds of CCP members were executed; also know as the April 12 Purge, this event marks
the beginning of the Chinese Civil War and a decade-long battle between the KMT and the CCP
for control of China.

Mao Zedong took control of the CCP leadership and its army, called the Red Army, after
attempting a retaliatory measure known as the Autumn Harvest Uprising. The revolt failed and
Zedong was forced into hiding where he still coordinated a series of peasant revolts against the
KMT. The KMT had been nearly successful in destroying the CCP by early 1934. Chiang Kai-
shek had forced the Red Army out of its base in Jiangxi and into a “Long March” in which Mao’s
forces fled 6,000 miles to establish a new base in northwestern China; over 85% of Mao’s forces
perished in the series of marches across China, however his vision of a reformed Chinese society
that redistributed land to poor farmers appealed to many poor farmers in the countryside and
swelled his ranks of supporters. After a brief halt to hostilities during World War II, the fighting
resumed between both sides in 1948. In October 1949, CPC had gained significant momentum
and seized control of Beijing. To many, the Chinese Civil War had finally ended; Mao Zedong
proclaimed the creation of the People’s Republic of China while the KMT was forced to flee to
neighboring Taiwan. The CPC installed a new communist government on mainland China while
the KMT attempted to govern the Republic of China from abroad.
© History with Mr. E
Specializing in American and World History for late Elementary, Middle, and early High School
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Events after the

Chinese Civil War…
On September 21, 1949, Mao Zedong took the stage at the Chinese
People’s Consultative Conference to celebrate the communist victory
over the Kuomintang. In his speech, he lamented western powers,
such as the United States, for their support of the KMT and vowed
that “the era in which the Chinese were regarded as uncivilized is
now over.” Mao viewed his victory as the beginning of a new era in
Chinese history, one where it would stand up against western
powers and protect China’s sovereignty. He quickly aligned the
People’s Republic of China with Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union,
signing the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance, and Mutual
Assistance in 1950 that provided China with a $300 million loan for
internal infrastructure projects. When the United States intervened
in the Korean War on the side of South Korea, Mao responded by
sending Chinese troops to aid the North Koreans. - Mao Zedong in 1963.
As Chairman of the Communist Party, Mao Zedong launched numerous initiatives designed to
reform Chinese society into the communist model that won the people’s support. At the heart
of Mao’s reforms was the brutal land reform policy where he created the class warfare that is
typical of a communist overthrow. Zedong’s government was responsible for the mass murder
of wealthy landlords and a redistribution of their land to the peasant class. It is estimated that
between 2-5 million land owners were executed as a direct result of this “reform.”

In 1953, Mao unveiled the first Five-Year Plan that was designed to industrialize China into a
modern world power. The Soviet Union stood behind China to help it achieve its goals,
supporting the country financially and with the knowledge of Soviet engineers, technicians,
and scientists. The plan achieved massive growth for China; from 1953 until 1957, the country
experienced a 16% industrial growth rate year after year, with nearly 100% increases in coal
production. As China became wealthier, life improved in some ways. Life expectancy increased
from 36 to 57 years, educational opportunities increased, housing codes improved, and
medical care was more widely available. At the same time China seemed to be entering the
modern age, Zedong’s government also began to restrict individual freedoms by greatly
limiting free speech by imprisoning those who criticized his regime. In 1958, Mao launched the
second Five-Year-Plan, known as the Great Leap Forward, and its main goal was to make
farming and industrial work more efficient. Mao sent millions of Chinese citizens to farming
and industrial communes where people performed specialized tasks, all work was shared, and
children were put into large childcare facilities so their parents could work for the state.
Experimental agricultural methods were implemented and unfortunately failed miserably; it is
estimated that upwards of 20 million people died from starvation as a result of these failed
policies.

Mao launched the Cultural Revolution in 1966 in part to restore his image, but also to attack
other party leaders who threatened his role. Mao convinced many that capitalist influences had
infiltrated the government and he called for people to revive their revolutionary fervor. He
encouraged them to eradicate Chinese society of the four olds: old ideas, old culture, old
habits, and old customs. Students calling themselves the Red Guard harassed the elderly,
dragged intellectuals into the streets, and millions falsely accused of supporting capitalism
were subject to public humiliation, imprisonment, and even torture. Schools were closed
throughout China and students were forcibly moved to farming villages to eliminate the
perceived upper-class mentality. Mao Zedong died in 1976 and just five years later, in 1981,
the PRC recognized that the Cultural Revolution was “responsible for the most severe setback
and the heaviest losses suffered by the Party, the country, and the people.”
© History with Mr. E
Specializing in American and World History for late Elementary, Middle, and early High School