-
The Warlord Era.
China broke upinto small states, each controlled by a warlord and his private army. This era increased the sense of humiliation felt by many chinese and led to an increase in nationalism (get rid of foreign influence) during the decade of warlod rule. -
Period: to
The Warlord Era (1916-1928).
With the death of Yuan, China lost the only figure that had maintained some degree of unity. China broke up into small states and provinces. -
The May Fourth Movement.
Students led a mass demonstration in Beijing against the warlords, traditional Chinese culture and the Japanese. Dedicated to change and the rebirth of China as a proud and independent nation. Others were inspired by the GMD, which had grown much stronger during the warlord era. -
The GMD (new leader takes place).
The GMD had been limited by their lack of power beyond the south and the fact they had to rely on alliances with warlords due to the weakness of their military power. After the death of Sun, a general took over leadership of the GMD, general Jiang Jieshi (a committed nationalist who achieved the support of the USSR by gaining aid and assistance to the party). -
Chinese Communist Party.
Emerged during the warlord period. Its members were initially intelectuals with no military strength. Due to this weakness and some shared aims, the CCP agreed to work with the GMD. -
The First United Front.
Both the GMD and the CCP wanted to unify China. Despite this alliance Jiang (leader of the GMD) became increasingly anti-communist and removed communists from key positions in the party. -
The Northern Expedition.
The communists and the GMD set out an offensive to crush the warlords of central and northern China. Within two years the United Front had destroyed the power of the warlords and the GMD announced that it was the legitimate government of China. This only increased the political division and the ideological differences between the GMD and the CCP. -
The GMD attacks the CCP.
Jiang decided there could be no more cooperations. Jian was sympathetic to landlords and the middle classes. Areas under communist controlled had seen peasants attack landlords and seize land. Jiang now expelled all communists from the GMD. -
The White Terror.
The tensions between both factions reached a critical point in Shanghai but it was until April when 5,000 communists were shot by the GMD -
The Purification Movement.
Various attacks took place in many chinese cities. It mean the massacre of thousands of communists, trade unionists and peasant leaders. About a quarter of a million people were killed. The CCP was nearly cruched by the end of 1927 -
Survival and Escape of the CCP.
Ignoring the orders of the Comitern to retain the United Front, the CCP decided that its only survival was to flee into the mountains of Jiangsi. With the survival of the CCP, the civil war had begun!
