The titanic battle to control China took place in four overlapping phases that started in the 1920s. However, the victory of the Chinese Communist Party marked a monumental change in the history of China, with far reaching influence in international relations. The Chinese Communist Party arrived at its victory through the intransigent program of carrying out revolution by stages (Woods, 2009). This paper will discuss the critical role that the Soviet Union played during the Chinese Revolution. It will highlight the events that led to the revolution and what took place during the revolution, clearly identifying the key influencers and groups at both strategic and operational level. Finally, the paper will explore the narratives that were used to propagate the movement as well as the event that tipped the movement to its success.
The Chinese Soviet Zone comprised of an area that was controlled by the Communist Party of China. The Chinese Soviet Republic was subsequently formed in 1917, with an open celebration of a new country. Present during this historic event were Mao Zedong and his allies. Formation of the Republic coincided with the anniversary of the Russian Bolshevik Revolution. Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, and using its system of administration, the Soviet Republic expanded gradually. For instance, it boasted a professional army with about one hundred and forty thousand well-equipped soldiers. Presence of this army was a threat to the Chinese nationalists. This led to the formation of the National Revolutionary Army which waged attacks on the Soviet Republic of China. However, while the Chinese Red Army managed to defeat the National Revolutionary Army, Mao was removed from power and was replaced by Wang Ming (Cienciala, 1999).
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The Soviet Republic of China declined rapidly under Ming’s administration. For instance, during subsequent attacks by the nationalists, the country decreased in size and the army suffered many casualties. The subsequent defeat led to the epochal Long March, a journey of 6000 miles. Together with remnants of the Communist Party in the countryside, they organized guerilla war, changing the course of the Revolution. On the other hand, the close of the World War II strengthened American imperialism and Soviet Russia. On August 1945, the Soviet Army attacked the Japanese Army in Manchuria and along the Chinese-Mongolian border. Following their victory over the Japanese Army, the Red Army occupied North Korea, Kuril Islands, Mengjiang, Manchukuo, and Southern Sakhalin. As a reaction to this, the United States (U.S) dropped atomic bombs in Japan forcing them to surrender and as a message to the Soviet that they possessed deadly weapons. However, the Stalin government was pushing for collaboration between the communists and nationalists, to the extent of negotiating the Friendship and Alliance Sino-Soviet Treaty. The communists were increasingly becoming successful in the civil war. This was characterized by the complete expulsion of the nationalists from the mainland in the 1950s , after the victory in 1949 (Woods, 2009; Cienciala, 1999).
Establishment of the People’s Republic of China influenced the Sino-Soviet relationships. For instance, the ideologies of both Stalin and Mao were constrained by national interests. It is apparent that Stalin did not trust Mao because he had a different take at communism which he developed without the input and influence of the Soviet Union. However, Stalin was not interested in a united China bordering Russia (Woods, 2009). For instance, a big Chinese territory was lost to the Soviets, which the communists never forgot. Despite this, the success of communism during the Chinese Revolution was greatly influenced by the Soviet Union policies, interventions, and collaborations during the war. Thus, the influence of the Soviet Union in the Chinese Revolution cannot be overstated.
References
Cienciala, A. M. (1999). The Chinese Revolution and Chinese Communism to 1949. In A. M. Cienciala, N. S. Lebedeva, & W. Materski (Eds.), The Communist Nations Since 1917 . New Haven Conn. and London: Yale University Press.
Woods, A. (2009). The Chinese Revolution of 1949 – Part One. Retrieved from https://www.marxist.com/chinese-revolution-1949-one.htm
