Why did China become a Communist country in 1949?
In 1949, the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed by Mao Zedong, leading to the
formation of a Communist China. There are several reasons for which, in the end of the
Chinese civil war, the Red Army was victorious, reasons that go back more than 20 years
back since the Communist takeover. In fact, since 1927, the experience of the CCP had
prepared the ground for a communist takeover.
There are three main long-term factors regarding the victory of the Red Army in 1949.
Firstly, by 1945 Mao Zedong dominated the CCP. As written in E. Robert’s “Mao Zedong
and the Communist Revolution,” the Communist leader was a peasant leader (which at the
time formed much of the Chinese population) and an expert guerrilla fighter. He was able to
win the loyalty of many of the party members who would be crucial during the civil war and
beyond, including Lin Biao and Zhou Enlai. In contrast to Mao, the leader of the opposing
party, the GMD, Chiang Kai-shek surrounded himself of loyal but inefficacious followers.
Not only this but various events throughout this period made it so that Chiang Kai-shek
would lose the support and power that he would have needed to win the war. These include
his attitude during the Japanese invasion, during he preferred to ignore the Japanese and
concentrate on destroying the Communists and was forced to change his views by his own
officers, and he lost the support of the USA by essentially refusing their help.
Secondly, Mao’s ideas of peasant revolution set out to transform the lives of the peasants
which made up more than 80% of the population. With this came what is known as
“Maoism,” a particular brand of Marxist ideology which focused on a revolution led by and
in the interest of the peasantry rather than of the proletariat. This assured him support
amongst most of the population. On the other hand, Guomindang rule was disorganised and
often corrupt, they made the peasants pay taxes despite the wartime hardships and for many
peasants’ life under the GMD was not different from life under the Japanese occupation.
Thirdly, the Communists war strategies were far more effective than those of the
Guomindang. From 1936 to 1939, the Communists built up their forces under the leadership
of Lin Biao, and although they had little resources their familiarity with the countryside and
the peasants and their excellent use of guerrilla warfare provided them with the means of
seizing power. The Japanese responded to the tactics with harsh counterattacks, only
increasing the hate people had for them and their willingness to collaborate with the
Communists.
Within a short time after the Japanese surrendered in August 1945 a civil war broke out. Mao
used the same tactics that had worked on the Japanese, maintaining the support of the
peasants as Nationalists were seen as a party of landlords and gaining the support of the
middle class and intellectuals, who were sick of the corruption in Chiang’s party. The
Americans stopped supplying the GMD thinking it was inappropriate to take sides in a civil
war and many of the nationalist troops began defecting to the Red Army, which had come to
be known as the People’s Liberation Army. By the end of 1949, Shanghai fell to the
Communist, Chaing Kai-shek escaped to Taiwan and China had become a Communist
country.
In conclusion, there are several reasons for which the China became Communist in 1949. On
one hand, the Communist had better war strategies (i.e. guerrilla tactics), the support of the
In 1949, the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed by Mao Zedong, leading to the
formation of a Communist China. There are several reasons for which, in the end of the
Chinese civil war, the Red Army was victorious, reasons that go back more than 20 years
back since the Communist takeover. In fact, since 1927, the experience of the CCP had
prepared the ground for a communist takeover.
There are three main long-term factors regarding the victory of the Red Army in 1949.
Firstly, by 1945 Mao Zedong dominated the CCP. As written in E. Robert’s “Mao Zedong
and the Communist Revolution,” the Communist leader was a peasant leader (which at the
time formed much of the Chinese population) and an expert guerrilla fighter. He was able to
win the loyalty of many of the party members who would be crucial during the civil war and
beyond, including Lin Biao and Zhou Enlai. In contrast to Mao, the leader of the opposing
party, the GMD, Chiang Kai-shek surrounded himself of loyal but inefficacious followers.
Not only this but various events throughout this period made it so that Chiang Kai-shek
would lose the support and power that he would have needed to win the war. These include
his attitude during the Japanese invasion, during he preferred to ignore the Japanese and
concentrate on destroying the Communists and was forced to change his views by his own
officers, and he lost the support of the USA by essentially refusing their help.
Secondly, Mao’s ideas of peasant revolution set out to transform the lives of the peasants
which made up more than 80% of the population. With this came what is known as
“Maoism,” a particular brand of Marxist ideology which focused on a revolution led by and
in the interest of the peasantry rather than of the proletariat. This assured him support
amongst most of the population. On the other hand, Guomindang rule was disorganised and
often corrupt, they made the peasants pay taxes despite the wartime hardships and for many
peasants’ life under the GMD was not different from life under the Japanese occupation.
Thirdly, the Communists war strategies were far more effective than those of the
Guomindang. From 1936 to 1939, the Communists built up their forces under the leadership
of Lin Biao, and although they had little resources their familiarity with the countryside and
the peasants and their excellent use of guerrilla warfare provided them with the means of
seizing power. The Japanese responded to the tactics with harsh counterattacks, only
increasing the hate people had for them and their willingness to collaborate with the
Communists.
Within a short time after the Japanese surrendered in August 1945 a civil war broke out. Mao
used the same tactics that had worked on the Japanese, maintaining the support of the
peasants as Nationalists were seen as a party of landlords and gaining the support of the
middle class and intellectuals, who were sick of the corruption in Chiang’s party. The
Americans stopped supplying the GMD thinking it was inappropriate to take sides in a civil
war and many of the nationalist troops began defecting to the Red Army, which had come to
be known as the People’s Liberation Army. By the end of 1949, Shanghai fell to the
Communist, Chaing Kai-shek escaped to Taiwan and China had become a Communist
country.
In conclusion, there are several reasons for which the China became Communist in 1949. On
one hand, the Communist had better war strategies (i.e. guerrilla tactics), the support of the
