China- pre-1949

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CCP and GMD Alliance

in 1924, China's two revolutionary parties, the communists (CCP) and the Nationalists (GMD) put aside their differences and formed a united front against the warlords that were ravaging China. however, this alliance was more apparent than real, the GMD's real aim was to destroy the CCP, and in 1927, it launched a systematic extermination of the communists. Mao survived by taking to the mountains of the Jiang-xi province where he organized guerrilla warfare tactics against the GMD.

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The Long March (1934-5)

While the GMD became the official government of China in the 1930s, it was weakened due to the Japanese occupation which began in 1931 however the leader of the GMD, Chiang Kaishek, seemed more intent on destroying the CCP than repelling the invaders in his homeland. In 1934, Chiang encircled the CCP base in Jiang-xi with aims to destroy it all together, once again Mao escaped, and began to lead the besieged communists north to Yanan in Shaanxi province, the journey which took over a year to complete, was later elevated into one of the greatest tales in CCP folklore: The Long March, however it was never as glorious as the communists made it out to be, of the 100,000 that left, barely 20,000 made to the destination, the march was however, very important in the development of Chinese communism.

The Yanan Years (1935-45)

During the Yanan period Mao, by a combination of political and military skill and brutal suppression, succeeded in imposing his personal authority on the CCP. he also launched a series of "rectification of conduct" in which Mao purged anyone in the CCP who he suspected of opposing him. this was consolidate his hold on the party, also during this time he wrote his major political works setting out his revolutionary ideas

Victory Over the GMD (1945-49)

With the surrender of Japan at the end of WW2, Mao turned on the GMD in a renewal of the civil war that had lasted intermittently since the late 1920s. A fierce 4 year struggle ended in complete victory for the CCP. the GMD were driven from China and sent to Taiwan. and in October 1949, Mao declared that the Peoples Republic of China had been created.

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