Chinese Civil War
Nationalists versus Communists
The Chinese Civil War was the conflict between Nationalist and Communist forces that determined China's political future.
Fighting occurred in two phases: 1927–1937 and 1945–1949, separated by an uneasy alliance against Japanese invasion.
The Communist victory in 1949 established the People's Republic of China on the mainland while Nationalists retreated to Taiwan, creating a division that persists today.
- Red ArmySoviet ground forces
- People's Liberation ArmyChina's national armed forces
- Long MarchChinese communist military retreat
- People's RepublicCommunist state's formal name
Chinese Nationalist leader
- TaiwanDisputed East Asian island-state
- NanjingEastern Chinese metropolis
- FormosaHistorical Taiwan name
- TaipeiCapital of Taiwan
Sun Yat-sen · Guomindang · White Terror · martial law · land reform
Channel separating contested territories
- partitionBarrier separating spaces
- mainlandPrincipal connected territory
- islandWater-bounded land mass
- Cold WarProlonged East-West standoff
recognition · legitimacy · reunification · independence · diplomatic isolation · national identity · diaspora · refugees
Northeastern Chinese region
- casualtiesThose killed or wounded
- artilleryLarge-caliber battlefield weapons
- infantryGround combat troops
- frontlinesCombat's forward edge
encirclement · retreat · advance · offensive · defensive · supply lines · troop movements · territorial control
State-led revolutionary socialism
- nationalismDevotion to one's country
- class struggleConflict between economic groups
- land redistributionReassigning property among populations
- anti-imperialismOpposition to foreign domination
socialism · collectivism · proletariat · bourgeoisie · feudalism · self-determination · united front · propaganda
Mao Zedong
- Red ArmySoviet ground forces
- People's Liberation ArmyChina's national armed forces
- Long MarchChinese communist military retreat
Zhou Enlai · People's Republic · guerrilla warfare · land reform · united front
Chiang Kai-shek
Chinese Nationalist leader
- TaiwanDisputed East Asian island-state
- NanjingEastern Chinese metropolis
- FormosaHistorical Taiwan name
Sun Yat-sen · Taipei · Guomindang · White Terror · martial law · land reform
Taiwan Strait
Channel separating contested territories
- partitionBarrier separating spaces
- mainlandPrincipal connected territory
- islandWater-bounded land mass
Cold War · recognition · legitimacy · reunification · independence · diplomatic isolation · national identity · diaspora · refugees
Manchuria
Northeastern Chinese region
- casualtiesThose killed or wounded
- artilleryLarge-caliber battlefield weapons
- infantryGround combat troops
frontlines · encirclement · retreat · advance · offensive · defensive · supply lines · troop movements · territorial control
Marxism-Leninism
State-led revolutionary socialism
- nationalismDevotion to one's country
- class struggleConflict between economic groups
- land redistributionReassigning property among populations
anti-imperialism · socialism · collectivism · proletariat · bourgeoisie · feudalism · self-determination · united front · propaganda · indoctrination
Chinese Civil Warforeign invasion
Military entry by outsiders
Korean War · Opium Wars · colonial war · World War II · Vietnam War
Chinese Civil Wararmistice
Agreement to cease hostilities
national reconciliation · ceasefire · peaceful coexistence · peacetime · truce
Chinese Civil Warpolitical stability
Enduring, predictable state authority
civil, civilian, civilized, China, civilization, uncivilized, Chinese, civilize, incivility