How Did The Communist Revolution Affect The History Of China?

The Communist Revolution started in 1911, and later the Chinese had to to fight off the Japanese invasion with the the help of the United states. Once the Japanese surrendered, at the end of world war 2, the Chinese Civil War strengthened. This was without a doubt the worst and most violent events in the history of China, and it lasted for four miserable years between 1945-1949.
This entire civil war was primarily about Nationalist and Communist control over China, with Mao Zedong and many others leading the communists and Chiang Kai-Shek leading the nationalists. Poverty was increasing and
China’s debt was very high, which made it worse on the already struggling citizens. Even though the struggle over communism and nationalism
continued for decades, Mao Zedong, and his communist party was able to finally defeat Chiang Kai-Shek and the nationalists. Chiang antagonized too many interest groups in China and made many other mistakes, which led to the nationalists fleeing to Taiwan and the communist party taking control of China.
In the year of 1911, the Qing Dynasty and its Empress, DowagerCixi had lost its power to rebellions. China was not modernizing themselves at this time and it led to the people becoming increasingly angry, which in turn led to rebellions. Once the Qing dynasty collapsed, China was left under control by many major and lesser warlords. These warlords controlled certain territories of China. Without a centralized form of government, China was left vulnerable. During the the Qing Dynasty, the farming methods had not changed for centuries, the land owning class benefitted from the profits, while the populace remained impoverished. Chinese leaders had refused to modernize their country while the rest of the world moved forward. A national leader was born by the name Sun Yatsen.
He formed the political party known as the Guomindang, whose beliefs included. nationalism and liberal democratic ideas. "Sun Yatsen elected president of China in 1911, had "no military forces at his command. To avoid a clash with the army he resigned after a few weeks"(1) and a new leader, Yuan Shikai, a powerful military leader was elected president of the new Chinese Republic. At this point China is a military dictatorship. Sun Yatsen did not go away, he reorganized his party, waiting for the next opportunity. World War 1 is in play and with this, Japan seized German enclaves in China, leaving China exposed and weak. Japan offered an ultimatum to China, leaving it nothing more than a protectorate.
The quest for China was now underway. Sun Yatsen ruled again in the early 20 's. He was sympathetic to communist efficiencies and allowed for a Soviet adviser to help reorganize The Guomindang(GMD). He supported a strong central government moving away from foreign influence. He used democracy to attract others who suffered under imperial rule. Sun Yatsen also allowed for communist members to join the GMD,(2) but following his death, a military leader took over the GMD. This new leader Chiang Kai-shek was not competent and his followers only plan was to loot the country and inadvertently put the quality of life in China unbearable through high taxation and controls. In addition to his failing policies Chiang Kaishek spread out his military forces, further weakening his support and rule. The peasants in the countryside suffered the most. Initially he aligned himself with the communist party only later to decimate them, killing more than 6,000 in a massacre in Shanghai. Thus propelling the civil war into action between the two groups.

In Beijing on May 4, 1919, what became known as the May 4th Rebellion, students protested the government and its lack of response to losing territories to Japan after World
War 1. Chinese communism was spawned with the concentration of support coming from the masses. In 1921, the Communist Party was founded in Shanghai by Chen DuXiu and
Li Dazhao. The communists were being attacked by Chiang 's army and decided to move their influences outside of the city where Chiang held power and into the outer regions where more the peasants lived.
This proved to be a worthy strategy as the Communist philosophy and its party started to grow like wild fire in thr impoverished countryside who saw no hope for its future with Chiang. In October 1934, Mao Zedong led The Long
March, covering 6,000 miles in protest of Japanese incursions in the northern area of
China. As Japan increased their military warfare on China, Mao 's followers demanded the removal of foreign invasions. The communist philosophy of egalitarianism and market reforms allowed the peasantry and masses to think they would someday be free of years of oppression. Japan became increasingly more violent and aggressive. In the winter of 1938 the Japanese took Nanjing. The Japanese “ raped 20,000 women, killed 200,000 prisoners and civilians, and looted and burned the city.”(3). The Nanjing genocide angered the people of China, Chiang ordered the Yellow River Dam to be released, killing over
800,000 people, destroying 4,000 villages , and creating 12.5 million homeless people.(3a) The GMD or the Nationalists had alienated the the intellectuals. The elite
found themselves more in common with the communists than the GMD and soon the communist party started to grow strong enough to come to power. The GMD/Nationalists inadvertently pushed the populace into the communist party, particularly after many blunders on
Chiang’s part. In 1946 fighting between the two groups increased. The GMD was very cruel to their enemies, they would have public executions of perceived enemies. (4) The
GMD received weapons from the United States government, allowing them to control cities. Although the GMD appeared stronger, they lacked leadership and political awareness. Support from the US did not last and the GMD found themselves in a weaker position. The communists strength was more in their economic message, their desire to protect a nation prone to attack and their ability to take control of the military. Mao and his party were being aided with supplies by the Soviet Union, since they were communist themselves. The Communist Party was able to take hold of northern China while the message of communism spread further making a communist victory imminent. In January
1949, the Communist victory was established. (5) The GMD or the Nationalist were forced to flee to Taiwan where they had a military establishment. 1.2 million Nationalists fled Taiwan to escape the Communist and the impending doom. Chiang Kaishek was defeated by Mao Zedong primarily because he lost the support of the people. Too many mistakes caused by Chiangs ego made it impossible for him to continue his campaign against the communists. With the Nationalist in Taiwan and the Communist in Mainland China, a new problem erupted. Chiang continued to call himself the leader of mainland China. Although the island was close, it was still a safe distance from having China worry about an invasion. China and Taiwan are still embroiled in a battle of words but have not resumed their civil war since the Nationalists officially left. Footnotes

1) (2011). The Earth and it 's People, a Global History, Vol.2 since 1500, fifth edition (fifth ed., Vol. 2, pp. 780). Boston, MA: wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Bibliography
(2011). The Earth and it 's People, a Global History, Vol.2 since 1500, fifth edition (fifth ed., Vol. 2, pp. 780). Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

The Earth and it’s People, A Global HIstory, Vol.2 Since 1500, fifth edition
THE WARS FOR ASIA 1911, S.C.M Paine, Cambridge, 2012 http://www.history.com/thisdayinhistory/ chinesenationalistsmovecapitaltotai wan http://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/09/opinion/editorialnotebooknationalistchinan ationalisttaiwandemocracyraises. html wwww.onwar.com/aced/nation/cat/china/fchinaF146.htm YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?U=UF6FF2BOYG