Home
Sitting at my desk right now thinking about why there was a civil war in China during the mid 20th Century; very intriguing question, and not exactly simple to answer. As a result of the rising power of China in the world today as well as its importance in the cold war, the question of why there was a civil war in China between 1946 and 1949 has been commonly argued over. This essay will explore the major reasons for the civil war from the early 1910’s to the outbreak of the war in 1946, particularly focusing on the social disorganization in China at the time, the personality clash between the leaders and the ideological differences.
After the falling of the Manchu Dynasty years earlier in 1912, a lack of structure and stability led to social unrest in China. The new system where warlords who had gained power militarily were given power over the land, led to massive failures both economically and socially. In order to re-stabilize the nation, new principles and a new way of society had to be created and this could not be created without conflict. This was an important factor in the outbreak of the civil war because it created an atmosphere of tension and misjudged actions. Because people seemed unsure of the right course of action to take, it seemed as if there was no clear ruler in China and this made the outbreak of the civil war almost inevitable. For instance, the rise of Sun Yat-sen as one of the chief contributors to the fall of the Imperial government and his defeat of many of the warlords shows the increasing social tension during the time. However, one could also argue that the social disorganization could have led to the civil war breaking out earlier than 1946 but the point must be made that the social disorganization only created an atmosphere of conflict but cannot be considered the main catalyst for the civil war between 1946 and 1949.
In fact, this social disorganization led to the rise of two powerful and ruthless leaders, namely Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-Shek and it can be argued that these two were the main reasons for the civil war between 946 and 1949. With the simultaneous growing dominance of Chiang Kai-Shek in the Kuo Min Tang and Mao Zedong in the Chinese Communist Party, it was always apparent that these two leaders would never get along. Chiang Kai-Shek’s personality was one which caused him to unleash his hatred against the communist way by killing many of the Chinese Communist Party Soldiers during the First United Front in 1927. His continued strong hatred towards the Communists can be seen even during the Sino-Japanese war, where he was seen to be focusing his efforts against the Communists rather than against the Japanese. Similarly, Mao had a very strong personality and was determined to ensure a communist future for China. The struggle during the Long March from October 1934 to October 1935 shows his extreme resilience and desire as the leader of the Chinese Communist Party. These two strong personalities, both of which, felt they were doing the best for China by implementing and popularizing their ideals, could never get along and as a result of their high followings it soon became apparent that these two would clash in some way through conflict. Again, it could be argued that their strong personalities could have led to an earlier civil war but it can also be argued that the height of this clash only happened at the end of the Sino-Japanese war thus leading to a civil war between 1946 and 1949.
After the falling of the Manchu Dynasty years earlier in 1912, a lack of structure and stability led to social unrest in China. The new system where warlords who had gained power militarily were given power over the land, led to massive failures both economically and socially. In order to re-stabilize the nation, new principles and a new way of society had to be created and this could not be created without conflict. This was an important factor in the outbreak of the civil war because it created an atmosphere of tension and misjudged actions. Because people seemed unsure of the right course of action to take, it seemed as if there was no clear ruler in China and this made the outbreak of the civil war almost inevitable. For instance, the rise of Sun Yat-sen as one of the chief contributors to the fall of the Imperial government and his defeat of many of the warlords shows the increasing social tension during the time. However, one could also argue that the social disorganization could have led to the civil war breaking out earlier than 1946 but the point must be made that the social disorganization only created an atmosphere of conflict but cannot be considered the main catalyst for the civil war between 1946 and 1949.
In fact, this social disorganization led to the rise of two powerful and ruthless leaders, namely Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-Shek and it can be argued that these two were the main reasons for the civil war between 946 and 1949. With the simultaneous growing dominance of Chiang Kai-Shek in the Kuo Min Tang and Mao Zedong in the Chinese Communist Party, it was always apparent that these two leaders would never get along. Chiang Kai-Shek’s personality was one which caused him to unleash his hatred against the communist way by killing many of the Chinese Communist Party Soldiers during the First United Front in 1927. His continued strong hatred towards the Communists can be seen even during the Sino-Japanese war, where he was seen to be focusing his efforts against the Communists rather than against the Japanese. Similarly, Mao had a very strong personality and was determined to ensure a communist future for China. The struggle during the Long March from October 1934 to October 1935 shows his extreme resilience and desire as the leader of the Chinese Communist Party. These two strong personalities, both of which, felt they were doing the best for China by implementing and popularizing their ideals, could never get along and as a result of their high followings it soon became apparent that these two would clash in some way through conflict. Again, it could be argued that their strong personalities could have led to an earlier civil war but it can also be argued that the height of this clash only happened at the end of the Sino-Japanese war thus leading to a civil war between 1946 and 1949.
