Upgrade to remove ads
Only $35.99/year

Chinese Civil War Vocab

Terms in this set (20)

Confucianism
A system of philosophical teachings sometimes described as a religion. It developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius (551-479 BCE) and began during the Tang Dynasty. The ideology's emphasis on the value of family and human relationship is considered to be very sacred.
The Manchu/Ching (also spelled Qing) Dynasty
ruled from mid-17th century until 1911. They originally were of Manchuria and were typically seen as "foreigners" by Han Chinese. The dynasty was unable to cope with foreign powers setting up spheres of influence in China or revolts like the Taiping Rebellion which eventually resulted in the warlords era after failed emperors.
Opium Wars
The British & French sought trade with China for luxury goods (silk, tea, porcelain, luxury goods) but China did not want to buy anything in return, and insisted on payment in silver. However, Britain and France did not want to give them silver, so Britain introduced opium from India to China to offset their losses. When the Chinese government attempted to stop the opium trade because it was highly addictive, the British declared war (they did not want that major income of money to cease), insisting on their right to sell drugs. Thus, a war broke out, which is called the First Opium War (1839-42), which resulted in the "unequal treaties". The Second War 1856-1860 also resulted in a defeat for China.
Taiping Rebellion
This was a religious and political rebellion which occurred in Southern China in 1850-1864 under the rule of Hong Xiuquan who believed he was the son of God and brother of Jesus Christ. Hong Xiuquan gathered an army of peasants and farmers who he led to believe that it was their duty to conquer China. However, in 1864, they were stopped by the Manchu who required the help of foreign troops after the Second Opium War. This is another example of the decline of the Manchu and rise of regional powers.
The Warlord Era
After the death of Yuan Shikai in 1916, power shifted from central government to individuals who controlled small portions of China. The central government was inefficient and powerless, while the landlords and warlords controlling the provinces grew more powerful and ended up having the populations in their areas completely under their influence. Wars between warlords were frequent, as each warlord usually trained a private army which divided the country at a time when morale was already low. This era ended in 1928 when the Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek coerced many of the warlords to lay down arms in the Northern Expedition.
Boxer Rebellion
This was a rebellion in 1900 that began in North China as a result of the losses to Japan and the anti-foreigner resentment. Attacks on Beijing and the international settlements there had been launched as well as the deaths of many Chinese Christian converts. International forces from US, Germany, France, Russia, Italy and Japan landed troops in China and fought their way to Beijing and relieved the siege. Although the rebellion failed, it was a sign of growing nationalism in China.
Dr. Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen is known as a nationalist and revolutionary. He opposed the Manchu Qing Dynasty and wanted to create a democratic republic in China. He created the "Three Principles"...Nationalism, Democracy and Socialism. He founded the Nationalist Party and briefly led China in 1913. He died in 1925.
The Three Principles
Established by Dr. Sun Yat-sen as goals for the Nationalist party.
Nationalism: get rid of Manchu dynasty (monarchy) and foreigners (esp. Europeans)
Democracy: establish elected republican government
People's livelihood: put mild form of socialism (see: Bernie Sanders) into effect to aid common people.
Sun's successor, Chiang Kai-shek failed to uphold these principles.
Guomindang (GMD)/ Kuomintang (KMT)
Guomindang means "National People's Party" and is a political party which was created by Sun Yat-sen in 1912; Chiang Kai-shek led the party from 1925 to 1975. The party was a dominant party of the Republic of China yet failed to appeal to the peasantry. The party was based on the Three Principles (Nationalism, democracy, and people's livelihood) yet became seen as a corrupt and ineffective party that favored western culture. The GMD lost the Chinese Civil War and left China for Taiwan.
Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
Chinese Communist Party began in 1921(CCP)-Led by Mao Zedong, has been in control of the People's Republic of China since 1949. The CCP was targeted by the Nationalists in the first phase of the civil war where many of their numbers were killed. In order to escape, nearly 90,000 party members went on a strategic retreat to escape GMD. While living in the mountains in seclusion, the party consolidated its power and leadership where Mao was recognized as leader of the party. The CCP took power in 1949 after winning the civil war with Mao Zedong as leader.
Jiang Jieshi/Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai- Shek was the head of Whampoa Military Academy, the leader of the Republic of China, and he defeated the warlords (1926) and almost accomplished unifying China. He turned on the Communists in 1927 but formed a Second Unification Front when he had to fight the Japanese from 1936-1945. In 1945, the civil war resumed and once the CCP defeated the Nationalists, he escaped to Taiwan and died in1975.
Northern Expedition
The CCP and GMD jointly launched a military campaign in 1926 to defeat the warlords and to reunify China. The campaign was largely successful. Through a combination of military defeat and negotiations, the majority of the warlords ceased to exercise independent power, and the Nationalist Party emerged as the ruling party in China by late 1927.
Mao Zedong
The leader of the Chinese Communist Party and introduced the People's Republic of China in 1949. He also wrote the book on guerrilla warfare which he used to counter the attacks of Chiang Kai-shek in August- December 1927. Mao led the CCP to victory over the KMT in 1949 and established the People's Republic of China as a single party state under his control.
Xian Incident
occurred in December of 1936 when Chiang Kai-shek was kidnapped by his own officers and a local warlord and handed over to the CCP. The CCP promised to release Chiang only if he promised to stop attacking the CCP and if he would form the Second Unification Front with the CCP and the KMT to fight the Japanese.
Futian Incident
In 1930 Mao tortured and executed over 4000 of his own Red Army troops whom he regarded as rebels. This event revealed Mao's willingness to use force and violence to maintain control of the CCP.
The Long March
On October 16, 1934 during a civil war between Nationalists (Chiang Kai-shek) and Communists, Mao led around 100,000 guerrilla soldiers out of the Jiangxi province in SE China to northern Shaanxi. The 6000 mile journey became known as the 'The Long March'. After facing starvation, skirmishes with Nationalists, and aerial bombs only 10,000-20,000 marchers remained. They finally stopped on October 20, 1935. During the entire journey, they marched through 11 provinces, 18 mountain ranges, and 24 rivers.
Rectification of Conduct Campaign
This was a series of brutal purges in which Mao removed any member of the CCP he suspected of opposing his authority. These took place in the early 1940s to help Mao consolidate his control of the party.
The People's Republic of China
China is a communist led country which was established in October 1st, 1949 with national capital Beijing. The country was led by the CCP under Mao Zedong's leadership after winning the Chinese Civil War with Guomindang.
Taiwan
A Chinese island located in the SE coast (of China), in possession of Japan from 1895-1945. In 1949 the KMT under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek left China to go to Taiwan after their defeat by the CCP. Taiwan was ruled by Chiang and the KMT until Chiang's death in 1976.
Manchurian Crisis of 1937
In 1931, Japan, eager for the vast natural resources to be found in China and seeing her obvious weakness, invaded and occupied Manchuria. They claimed that Chinese soldiers had sabotaged their railway, so they attacked. The Chinese army did not fight back and lost control of the resource-rich region. This showed the inability of the KMT government to defend China and also revealed the weakness of the League of Nations at the time.
Recommended textbook explanations

Impact California Social Studies World History, Culture, and Geography The Modern World

Jackson J. Spielvogel
1,440 explanations

Modern World History Patterns of Interaction

1st EditionDahia Ibo Shabaka, Larry S. Krieger, Linda Black, Phillip C. Naylor, Roger B. Beck
1,293 explanations

World History: Patterns of Interaction (Georgia)

1st EditionDahia Ibo Shabaka, Larry S. Krieger, Linda Black, Phillip C. Naylor, Roger B. Beck
2,261 explanations

World History: Medieval and Early Modern Times (California Edition)

1st EditionDouglas Carnine
632 explanations