Episode 19: The End of the Chinese Civil War, 1945-9
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The victory of the CCP over the KMT was a bit of a shock to many, it was by no means obvious that they were going to win and actually by all accounts they should have lost. Chiang Kai-shek had the bigger army, more money, control of the cities, and at least the tacit support of the USA, who were hell bent on stopping the spread of communism now that they didn’t have to pretend to be friends with the USSR anymore. Despite the KMT’s numerous advantages, there were factors both internal and external to the party that led to their downfall, including the state of China’s society and economy after the war, the way the military behaved on both sides, as well as international relations. Did the CCP politically and militarily outmaneuver the KMT, or were they better able to reach the people and therefore win as a result of overwhelming popular support? By the end of this episode, we’ll have a better understanding of whether the founding of the PRC was more a failure of the KMT or the victory of the CCP.
Episode 19: The End of the Chinese Civil War, 1945-9
Episode 19: The End of the Chinese Civil War…
Episode 19: The End of the Chinese Civil War, 1945-9
The victory of the CCP over the KMT was a bit of a shock to many, it was by no means obvious that they were going to win and actually by all accounts they should have lost. Chiang Kai-shek had the bigger army, more money, control of the cities, and at least the tacit support of the USA, who were hell bent on stopping the spread of communism now that they didn’t have to pretend to be friends with the USSR anymore. Despite the KMT’s numerous advantages, there were factors both internal and external to the party that led to their downfall, including the state of China’s society and economy after the war, the way the military behaved on both sides, as well as international relations. Did the CCP politically and militarily outmaneuver the KMT, or were they better able to reach the people and therefore win as a result of overwhelming popular support? By the end of this episode, we’ll have a better understanding of whether the founding of the PRC was more a failure of the KMT or the victory of the CCP.