The Chinese Civil War 1945–49 (Essential Histories)

Out of the ashes of Imperial China arose two new contenders to lead a reformed nation; the Chinese Nationalist Party, the Kuomintang, and the Chinese Communist Party. In 1927, the inevitable clash between these two political parties led to a bitter civil war that would last for 23 years, through World War II and into the Cold War period. The brutal struggle finally concluded when Communist forces captured Nanjing, capital of the Nationalist Republic of China, irrevocably altering the course of China's future. Dr. Michael Lynch sheds light on the cruel civil war that ultimately led to the establishment of the People's Republic of China. Between the end of World War II and the dawn of the Cold War, one of the most important conflicts in modern history reached its climax. With China's Japanese occupiers now defeated, the long struggle between Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists and Mao Zedong's Communists exploded into an intense, bloody and ruthlessly fought civil war. By 1949 the Nationalist government was defeated and in exile in Taiwan, and the new People's Republic of China was ready to emerge as a major Cold War power. Engaging and surprising, this new history delves into the political background and complex ramifications of the Chinese Civil War, as well as assessing Mao and Chiang's millions-strong armies, their strategies and commanders, and the critical campaigns that won and lost China. --Book Jacket Out of the ashes of Imperial China, arose two contenders to lead a reformed nation - the Chinese Nationalist Party, the Kuomintang, and the Chinese Communist Party. In 1927, the clash between these two political parties led to a bitter civil war that lasted for 23 years, through the World War-II and into the Cold War period.