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Evaluate the impact of the Sino Japanese War on Guomindang and the Chinese…
Evaluate the impact of the Sino Japanese War on Guomindang and the Chinese Communist Party.
Introduction
Timeline: 2nd Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) + A little of civil war (1946) - USSR & US's actions due to WW2
Key terms: Evaluate, KMT, CCP (Impact on parties, Not China as a whole)
Foreign Powers
United States
Loans for non-military purchases and price stabilization prior to 1941
Alignment of US and Nationalist China in 1941
Supplies sent over hump, Provided training for a few KMT divisions
USA had invested $1 billion in China by 1945
Benefitted KMT
Counter
USA had unrealistic expectations for a post-war China --> Coalition government between CCP & KMT
Had false impression that CCP were just agrarian reformers (Not revolutionaries/Communists)
As a result, US allowed CCP military units to remain intact and forced Chiang into negotiations, legitimizing CCP's cause
Benefitted CCP
USSR
Ambivalent towards CCP
SIgned treaty in 1945 --> Recognised Chiang as sole leader of China
Forced CCP to cooperate with US and vetoed plans for urban uprisings
Benefitted KMT
Counter
In 1940, Stalin provided 42% of CCP expenditures
Stalin provided military aid, Handed over enormous quantities of captured Japanese war material to CCP (After occupying Manchuria)
Provided training & advisors
CCP transformed from guerrilla to conventional army
Delayed withdrawal from Manchuria, allowing CCP to take over the resource-rich region
Benefitted CCP
Conclusion
War had a largely positive impact on CCP and negative impact on KMT, contributing to the former's victory over the latter in 1949.
Political
Formation of 2nd United Front
CCP manipulated Zhang Xueliang (Manchurian warlord) into kidnapping Chiang and handing him over to CCP (Xi'an Incident - December 1936) --> Used imminent war with Japan to do so
Soviets supported forming united front to avoid a Japanese attack on Soviet Far East, persuaded CCP
Agreed to form 2nd United Front
End of Chiang's "internal pacification before external resistance" appeasement policies
Benefitted CCP to a larger extent than KMT
CCP
Provided respite for CCP after narrowly surviving the long march --> KMT troops blockading Yan'an were redirected against the Japanese
The fact that the CCP asked for the truce gave the impression that they were the true nationalists --> Increased CCP's reputation
Allowed CCP to consolidate power in Yan'an, Build up a base
Disunity within United Front, limited cooperation in reality --> New 4th Army Incident (January 1941)
Had propaganda value for CCP by highlighting KMT's perceived reluctance to fight Japanese --> Public condemnation of China
Despite pledge, CCP remained de factor independent of KMT's military chain of command
Allowed CCP to infiltrate KMT by planting spies (e.g.General Yan Baohang - Chiang's top military advisor)
Rise in number of cadres (40,000 in 1937 to 1 million in 1945)
Benefitted CCP
KMT
Allowed Chiang to accede to the Chinese public's nationalist demands for war with Japan, improving KMT's popularity
Public had become increasingly nationalistic since the Manchurian Crisis began
Chiang was sincere in fighting Japanese (Even Mao recognised this) and never intended to negotiate with them
Benefitted KMT
KMT's political repression and mismanagement
Chongqing lacked modern administrative system & effecient bureaucracy
Plagued by disunity, conspiracies and plots --> Chiang played off rivals
Chiang used KMT secret police
Dai Li "China's Himmler"
Sadistic reputation: Used torture, murder
Severely damaged KMT's popularity
Weakened KMT
Social
KMT
Japanese victories (Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing) forced KMT to flood central China by breaking the Huanghe dams in June 1938
500,000 died, 4.8 million became refugees
Failure to prevent Japanese atrocities
Rape of Nanking (December 1937 - 20,000-80,000 killed)
"Kill all, burn all, destroy all"
War made KMT seem corrupt & inept (e.g. War's hardship contrasting with Song Meiling's life of luxury) --> Class divide. Compounded by Chiang's lack of charisma
Law & Order broke down, leading to a rise in banditry/kidnapping
Failed to extensively punish collaborators after war, further damaging KMT's legitimacy (Most collaborators were KMT members - e.g. Wang Jingwei)
Weakened KMT
CCP
Mao's domestic authority & Yan'an and Maoism was strengthened
Thousands of patriotic youth and intellectuals headed to Yan'an to resist the Japanese (Chinese nationalism)
Implemented popular policies
Provided aid and relief for refugees
Helped CCP gain support from peasants (18 liberated areas - 100 million population by 1945)
Benefitted CCP
Economic
KMT
KMT failed to create an effective wartime industrial economy due to Japan's embargo on vital imports, demands of the war and continued power of the warlords+landlords
KMT forcibly requisitioned grain to feed army
Conscripted peasants, leading to shortages of agricultural workers
Led to famine in Henan after 1942 (2 million died)
230% annual inflation (1942-1945)
Overcrowding of Chongqing & Free China (Refugee Crisis - 100 million refugees)
Damaged KMT's popularity
Weakened KMT
CCP
Successfully implemented moderate land reform
Encouraged producer cooperatives
Increased cultivation
Disocuraged large land holdings through taxation
Progressive tax model
Benefitted CCP
Military
KMT
Chiang sent his best troops to defeat the Japanese in Shanghai, resulting in significant casualties and losses
Suggests he was sincere in his attempts
KMT lost half of their troops as caulties --> Many were junior officers
Poor conscription system, Low morale, lack of loyalty to Chiang (Due to large number of provincial troops) & poor logistics (Suffered lack of supplies)
Japan captured all major cities, ports and transportation networks by 1938 and much of the central and southern coastline by 1941
Cultivation of
passive defence policy
(Long war of attrition) --> Contributed to KMT's mass capitulations during civil war
KMT's strategy of "trading space for time" and failure to prevent Japanese victories further damaged KMT's reputation
Weakened KMT
CCP
CCP mostly limited themselves to guerrilla operations --> Preserved their strength
Launched failed Hundred Regiments Offensive (1940) against Japanese (Lost 22,000 men)
Allowed CCP to claim they were fighting Japanese without associated casualties
Red army attracted many peasants and adopted certain key principles --> Did not exploit locals, Paid for food/supplies
Had 1 million regular troops and 2 million militiamen by 1945
Benefitted CCP
Counter
CCP remained a guerrilla army and contined to be militarily inferior to KMT
Only changed due to Soviet aid