Causes:

Long-term
Collapse of imperial power:
Collapse of imperial power in 19th century played a fundamental role in creating the conditions for
the later civil war.
The Manchu Qing dynasty had become increasingly fragile during the later half of 19th century because
of the major external and internal threats:
China saw an increase in foreign interest in the country after the defeat of the British in the Opium wars
1839-42. The superpowers in the world started to carve up China among them and control her trade.
The emperors inability to resist this influx of foreign involvement in the country contributed to the rising
nationalist resentment and internal opposition to the imperial power. As a result, Chinas self-image was
badly hurt and many nationalists were convinced that the abdication of the emperor was necessary to
modernize the country in order to make it a great power again. Despite late attempts at reform, the
dynasty was overthrown in 1911 in the revolution of the double tenth (a military nationalistic uprising). As
the dynasty was overthrown, a power vacuum arose, which the KMT and CCP fight over later in the civil
war. Thus, the collapse of imperial power created the conditions for the later civil war.
Warlords and regionalism:
-The immediate failure to fill the power vacuum in 1911 divided up China into different regions where
warlords brutally exercised their power over the peasants. The internal chaos in China that had arisen
from regionalism ultimately created the social and political conditions for the civil war.
In 1912 Yuan Shikai set up a military dictatorship, but he failed to resolve any of Chinas big problems
(such as foreign interest in the country) and when he died in 1916 the country descended into chaos as
he had not appointed a successor. For the next decade powerful warlords divided up the country into
independent regions. This contributed to outbreak of civil war in three ways.
1) As country was divided up, more people became nationalistic and wanted to unify China
2) The social conditions under the warlords were very poor, and the exploitation of peasants would lead to
later significant support for the CCP.
3) As China was internally weak, it had to accept the TOV and grant the former German colony of
Shangdong to Chinas greatest enemy, Japan. This created more nationalistic feelings.
As a result of the warlord era the Chinese desire for change and modernization was very intense. Thus,
two different political parties, the KMT and the CCP, were formed. The two parties both offered a solution
to Chinas problems and they were willing to fight for it as well.

Midterm
Ideological divide:
Ideology played a crucial role in bringing about war as KMT and CCP essentially fought over who was
going to unify China and solve its problems according to their respective ideology.

Ideological positions of the belligerents

CCP

KMT

-Communist ideology. Ultimate aim of communism Starts of with Sun-Yat-Sen as the leader. He is the
is to create an equal classless society, in which
leader from 1912-1925
the state has withered away.
Three main principles:
-Mao adopts Soviet communism to Chinese
1) Nationalism (take away foreign influence)
conditions. For example, the peasant class is
2) Peoples democracy (establish a democratic state)
seen as the revolutionary class.
3) Peoples livelihood (establish socialism, where the
-Mao also wants to revolutionize Chinese society. poor are benefitted)

1) Eradicate rural poverty through collective

ownership.
-Replace traditional Chinese values with CCP
values
Abolish foreign influence, and especially western
influence.

Chiang Kai-Shek 1925-1949

-Chiang shifts KMT ideology to the right. He focuses
more on nationalism. Chiangs shift to the right leads to
the white terror in Shanghai in 1927

The key difference between the two parties s that

CCP want a central economy whilst KMT wants to
maintain capitalism

Initially the parties worked together to defeat regionalism in 1926, but Chiangs shift to the right leads to
the white terror (killing of CCP officials) in Shanghai in 1927. This sparks of what some historians have
called the first Chinese civil war between 1927-37. The ideological divisions were also to become the
essential foundation of the conflict that broke out in 1946.
Failure of KMT to secure single party state:
The failure of Chiang Kai-Shek to secure a single party state and unite China under one government
meant that civil war was virtually inevitable. Chiang failed to defeat the CCP in 1927, and the CCP were
severely weakened and had to flee to the remote parts of China (Jianxi province). During the next couples
of years the nationalist government failed to establish control of China. Meanwhile, CCP builts up its
strength and emerged as much stronger in the "united front" with KMT in 1937 against the Japanese
invasion. After the Japanese invasion, the fighting between KMT + CCP continued, and now CCP had
emerged in a much stronger position able to wage war against KMT.

Short-term
End of WW2 and failure of US diplomacy:
The failure of the US to secure peace in China in 1946 meant that a proper civil war broke out between
CCP and KMT in the same year. The end of WW2 with the dropping of atom bombs over Hiroshima and
Nagasaki meant that Japan had to withdraw from China, and the fighting between CCP + KMT could
commence. The country was heavily divided between communists and nationalists, and both sides
wanted to get us mouch territory in the chaos that followed the Japanese withdrawal. However, as the
cold war emerged in Europe, the US sought to stall a communist victory in China. Thus the US intervened
to promote a coalition government in China between KMT + CCP. The US war hero General Marshall led
the negotiations between CCP + KMT, but both parties were not prepared to honour the terms of the
agreement in practice. By Februari in 1946 both sides were fighting again as they moved troops into
Manchuria (northern China). Consequently, the failure of US diplomacy has to be seen as a cause of the
Chinese civil war.