1945 to 1949 – the (Second) Civil War (of the Modern Era) Period

Japan surrendered in China after Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the US attempted to ensure that they surrendered to GMD rather than CCP forces. CCP forces raced to be in the best position to receive the surrender but ultimately Japan surrendered to the GMD (aided by the US).

Subsequent peace negotiations between the CCP and the GMD failed twice despite Truman sending General Marshall to overcome the first stalling of the process. Civil war then re-started in earnest. The CCP armies defeated those of the GMD in fairly short order, though Yan’an fell to the GMD in 1947 (fortunately for the CCP, its armies and real power were elsewhere in northern China by that stage).

The CCP swiftly embarked upon land reforms in the hope of shoring up support as the war still raged but reform soon came to resemble mob rule as violent and unjust actions were perpetrated in various areas. This potential backfire led Mao to cancel the reforms for the time and revert to the more conciliatory policies he had generally employed during the anti-Japanese war.

The GMD’s rule in the cities was, in turn, also chaotic. Inflation ran rampant as the currency was changed several times. There was endemic starvation in the south and poor harvests in the north threatened more problems for GMD rule. The leadership was also seen as and was corrupt, black markets flourished and war shortages and privations had taken a toll on most everyone’s morale (as well as in many cases morality). Nevertheless, the GMD continued (rather brazenly in the circumstances) to confidently importune internationally. Of the materiel the US had made available to the GMD, more and more had begun to fall into the hands of the CCP and needed to be replaced as the CCP began to win the civil war but the US seemed ready to prop up the GMD against the CCP at whatever cost in pursuit of satisfaction of perceived Cold War needs.

The solution to the civil war morass was a change of tactics by the CCP. Finally the CCP forces began to focus their attacks on the major GMD cities. Following this change the deathblows were struck rather quickly. By 1948 the CCP was in complete control in the North. The GMD’s commander for central China, Feng Wei, leader of the 12 Army, and his troops were soon forced to flee the CCP advance. He was captured in short order having first broken through CCP lines on around 15 December 1948 in an attempt to escape.

The GMD having almost completely lost popular support, Jiang resigned his leadership. The GMD leadership and many troops finally began to retreat across the Taiwan Straits to Taiwan in January of 1949 with as much treasure as they were able to transport. The rear guard anti-CCP actions of GMD police in Shanghai included summary street shootings of suspects caught on film for posterity to marvel at the ongoing brutality of the failed regime. CCP cadres were forced to kneel in the street before being shot in the back of the head. According to his son, Chiang Ching-kuo, Jiang, having resumed the leadership in Taiwan in 1950, never gave up on the hope of the eventual return of the GMD to the mainland in victory.

Meanwhile as they assumed power the CCP were hailed on the streets by the people of the cities in the spirit of sheer relief, anticipation and exhilaration. But what actually was Maoism going to involve now? I’ll explore that some more in the next several posts.

Jia (Family) by Ba Jin and Fan Shen by William Hinton are works that give a flavour of what went on before and around the final formation of the PRC in 1949. Hinton’s work in particular is a firsthand account of land reform in rural China just before 1949 and Ba’s concerns life in China before Mao.