The Long March (1934) - In 1934, the Communists were being beaten pretty badly by the Nationalist party. The Nationalist party had surrounded the communist base in southeast China. In a desperate last ditch effort for survival, 100,000 communist soldiers fled the area heading for northwestern China. But in the 6,000 mile march, (on foot) only 8,000 made it. Although only 8% of the original participants survived, the event made the communist party much more cohesive and stronger. And also solidified Mao Zedong as their leader.