“Political factors were more important than military factors in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War (1946–1949).” Discuss.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the statement that political factors were more important than military factors in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War (1946–1949). There does not need to be equal coverage of both military and political factors. Candidates may refer to the earlier phases of the civil war in their response however, they should also consider how the events of 1946-9 led to a communist victory. Political factors may include a discussion of how Jiang Jieshi was regarded by many as an agent of the West who accepted billions of dollars from the US. Jiang was also perceived as a corrupt and cruel leader who had done little to ease the suffering of the peasants during the Nanjing Decade and had abandoned his people throughout the Sino-Japanese War. Therefore, candidates may argue that there were high desertion rates amongst the Nationalist ranks and considerably more peasant support for the communists. This peasant support enabled the communists to use guerrilla tactics successfully in the earlier part of the conflict. Military factors may also include reference to the CCP gaining control of Manchuria following Japan’s defeat. Candidates may also discuss how the nature of fighting changed during the years 1946-1949 as the CCP’s increasing strength meant they were able to face the GMD in conventional battles, such as the Battle of Shangcai. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the statement that political factors were more important than military factors in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War (19461949). This was a very popular question but for the most part was not answered well. The vast majority of candidates wrote either solely or predominantly about the civil war in the late 1920s and the 1930s. Although material from this time period is valid there did also need to be discussion of the final phase of the war (1946-9) to explain why the CCP won in 1949. For example, candidates wrote in depth about the CCP's successful use of guerrilla tactics, but few discussed the effective transition to conventional warfare in the final stages of the war. Some discussion of the final phase of the conflict was necessary to fully address the issue of CCP victory in 1949.