Question

Explain the causes of the victory of the Communists.

Answer 1

The causes for the victory of the Communists in China are enumerated as follows:

Chiang’s Kuomintang government was filled with incompetent and corrupt officials. The people especially hated the tax collectors, who were commonly called “blood-sucking devils.” Chiang himself held dictatorial powers, but his orders were often ignored. He had little success in rallying Chinese nationalism to win an unpopular war against the Communists.

Economic discontent in the cities led to thousands of labour strikes. Students, newspaper editors, and intellectuals protested against Chiang’s Nationalist government. They demanded an end to the civil war and the creation of a government that included the Communists. The Nationalists responded with censorship, beatings, mass arrests and even assassinations. This repression drove many to the Communist’s cause.

The Nationalist government seemed to care only for city business interests and rural landlords while ignoring the suffering of the peasants. The corrupt government administrators helped landlords take back their lands that the Communists had handed over to the peasants. The government often punished peasants for participating in Mao’s land-distribution programs. Thus, the disgruntled peasants started to support the claims of the Communists.

Communist propaganda took full advantage of all the Nationalist failures. Mao focused on winning over the peasants to gain their support in the civil war. “The battle for China,” he said, “is a battle for the hearts and minds of the peasants.”