Analyse the causes of the Chinese Civil War

The Chinese Civil War took place place between 1927 and 1949 however it was interrupted between
1937 and 1945 because Japan invaded China and the Second World War broke out. This means that
the Chinese civil war is often referred to as two civil wars, one from 1927-1937 and the other from
1945-1949. There where five main causes that lead to civil war in China, there was two main long
term causes which where the collapse of imperial power and the rise of the warlords and
regionalism. The two midterm causes where the ideological differences between the Chinese
Communist Party and the Guomindang Party, the other was the failure of the Guomindang to
secure a single party state and unite China. The main short term course was the USAs failed
diplomacy efforts.
The collapse of imperial power in the 19th century is often considered the most significant long
term cause of the civil war. The Manchu Qing dynasty began to fail due to an increasing number of
political, economic and social problems. There was also some major internal and external problems
all of which threatened to undermine the Qing rule. One of the main problems was the growing
influence the West had on China. The Qing dynasty recognised that a trading relationship with
other countries could be lucrative so they opened up China to some limited trading with heavy
restrictions. This closed door policy lasted until roughly 1830s when China was too weak to stop
the major powers of Japan, USA and European countries. These countries humiliated and exploited
China to suit there needs, China was forced to sign a series of unfair treaties that gave imperialist
powers huge control over Chinese trade and territory. This increase in foreign involvement
eventually lead to the main superpowers of the world starting to carve up the Chinese empire
into their spheres of influence so they could have even more influence over trade. The Opium
wars (1839-42) against the British ended the closed door policy. China was heading in a
increasingly desperate direction and the ruling dynasty was doing little to stop it. The Emperor
was unable to stop the influx of foreign involvement which contributed to a rising feeling of
nationalist resentment and opposition because not only where they incapable of ruling they where
also foreigners. By the beginning of the 20th century there was a growing feeling that the Qing
dynasty needed to be overthrown so that China could be westernised and democracy introduced
and so that China could become great again. These feelings were intensified when the Emperor
died and his two year old son became Emperor. The Qing did make some attempts at reforms but
these came too little, too late and have been described as window dressing by some historians.
These feelings all came to a head with the Double Tenth rebellions in October 1911. The dynasty
was overthrown and a republic was created, a power vacuum arose. The Guomindang party
(GMD) and the Chinese Communist Part (CCP) then fought over this in the civil war which
ensued. The collapse of imperial power in the 19th century was a long term cause of the civil war
because it created the conditions for it.
The Warlord era and regionalism was a long term cause of the Chinese civil war. After the Double
Tenth rebellion which was described as a triumph of regionalism; it was a particular phase in the
long running contest between central autocracy and local autonomy, a contest which would shape
Chinas future for the following 40 years by historian Michael Lynch. An edict was signed on 12th
February 1912 which ended Manchu rule, China was declared a republic and Sun Yatsen was
declared president. He then resigned in favour of Yuan Shikai who had played a significant role in
the abdication of the Emperor. When the First World War broke out the Japanese invaded the

Shangdong province (a german concession). The Japanese presented twenty one demands to Yuan
Shikai, he was forced to accept them and the 7th of May became National Humiliation day. He
made himself Emperor on the 1st January 1916 an increasing number of provinces declared
themselves independent from Beijing. This pressure lead him to abolish his rule on 22nd March
1916 and died shortly after on the 6th June 1916. With his death, the only figure which represented
some form of unity for China was lost. He had not appointed a successor so following his death
China descended into chaos once more, this time it was split up into different regions and
Warlords ruled these regions with brutal force. The peasants suffered, they were exploited and this
later contributed to their significant support for the CCP during the civil war. More and more
people became nationalistic and wanted to unify China as a result of Warlord rule. As a result of
regionalism the social and political conditions for the civil war where created. At this point in time
people in China desired change more than anything, they wanted China to modernise. Two
different political parties offered a solution to the Chinese people. The GMD and CCP had different
ideas on how to solve Chinas problems and they were willing to fight for there solution. These
nationalistic feelings and social and political problems are considered a main cause of the Civil
war.
The ideological divide between the GMD and CCP was a cause of the Civil War. The GMD was
lead by Sun Yatsen until his death on March 12 1925, Chiang Kai-Shek then assumed leadership.
The CCP was inspired by the Russian Revolution and Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhoa set up the party,
Some of the early members where Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and Lin Biao. Both parties
believed they had the solution to unify China and the solution to all the problems it had faced. The
CCP believed that having a central economy was the way to go but the GMD believed in
maintaining capitalism. The CCP supported the peasants, and they advocated equality. The GMD
supported the wealthy landlords and wanted to create a great China through industrialisation.
Initially both parties where able to work together towards the common goal of defeating the
Warlords and regionalism in 1926 during the Northern Expedition. This first united front was able
to defeat warlords in a number of key areas. Despite this success the Northern Expedition and
United Front didn't last, the common goal had been overcome and that left the two parties and
there conflicting ideologies. Chiang decided to take aggressive action against the CCP which lead
to the White Terror also know as the Shanghai Massacre, which occurred in Shanghai in March of
1927. It was the killing off of communist elements of the GMD and had the support of the warlords
because the did not wish to lose their financial power and control. This lead to the deaths of several
of the key communist leaders including Li Dazhao. This was the start of the first Chinese civil war
1927-37 according to some historians. This ideological divide between the CCP and GMD was a
key cause of the civil war that broke out in 1946.
The failure of the GMD and Chiang Kai-Shek to secure a single party state and unite China under
one government is a key cause of the civil war. His failure to defeat the CCP in 1927 meant civil
war was basically inevitable because it gave them the chance to rebuild there strength and support.
Over the next few years the nationalists failed to gain control of China, during this time the CCP
where building up its strength and emerged as much stronger in the united front against the
Japanese in 1937 than the GMD. After the conflict with Japan, the CCP and GMD continues there
fighting. The CCP where in a much stronger position than the GMD. So the failure of the GMD
and Chiang to secure a victory meant fighting continued and it is therefore a cause of the civil war.

The USAs failed diplomacy efforts were a cause of the civil war. The fact that the USA was unable
to secure peace with China in 1946 contributed to the civil war between the CCP and GMD
breaking out in the same year. The USA dropping of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima and
Nagasaki ended WW2 and meant Japan had to withdraw from China. This meant the CCP and
GMD could resume their fighting now that they didt have to worry about the Japanese being a
threat. At the time China was still heavily divided between the communists and nationalists and
both sides wanted as much territory as they could get following the Japanese withdrawal. Around
this time the cold war was beginning to emerge in Europe and the USA wanted to try and stop a
communist victory in China so they promoted a coalition government between the CCP and the
GMD. Despite the USA working hard to try and achieve a diplomatic solution between the two
parties neither where prepared to share power. US General Marshall was given the job of trying to
come to a deal, eventually both parties agreed to the following terms: prepare to set up a coalition
government, form a temporary state council, unite their armies in a new National Army and have
free elections for local government. The negotiations where finalised in February 1946, the same
time as both parties where moving troops into Manchuria. A diplomatic solution hadnt worked
and both sides were fighting again. For these reasons the USAs failure at diplomacy is seen as
cause of the civil war.
So in conclusion there are five main causes of the Chinese civil war (1927-1949) which are the
collapse of imperial power, the rise of the warlords and regionalism, the ideological differences
between the CCP and the GMD, the failure of the GMD to secure a single party state and unite
China and the USAs failed diplomacy efforts. All these things helped contributed to causing the
Civil War but the underlying causes in all these trigger causes was weak economy, social and
political tension and ideological differences between political parties.