Evaluate the impact of the Sino-Japanese War on the Guomindang (GMD) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The question requires that candidates make an appraisal of the impact of the Sino-Japanese War on the GMD and the CCP. Candidates may offer equal coverage of the GMD and the CCP, or they may prioritize their evaluation of one. However, both aspects will be a feature of the response. Candidates may refer to the truce and the formation of the Second United Front, which candidates may evaluate gave the CCP some breathing space and enabled their survival. The fact that it was the CCP that had demanded the truce also led to them being perceived by the Chinese people as the true nationalists. Jiang Jieshi and the GMD also became allies of the West and received vast sums of money from the US, which continued into the civil war years. In military terms, the GMD faced the brunt of the fighting in the war and faced much higher casualties. In contrast, the CCP adopted guerrilla tactics so had far fewer casualties which left the CCP in a stronger position to take on the GMD in 1945. Military tactics adopted by the GMD during the conflict, such as “trading space for time” were perceived as an abandonment of the people by the GMD. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

This was a very popular question which was for the most part answered very well. The question required that candidates make an appraisal of the impact of the Sino-Japanese War on the GMD and the CCP. There was some excellent in-depth knowledge of the actions of the GMD and CCP during the war however, a few responses needed more analysis of how the war impacted both political organisations.