The Chinese Civil War was a conflict between the nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) and the communist People’s Liberation Army (PLA). It started in 1927 and continued until 1950 with a few breaks of cease-fire along the way. The primary cause of the civil war was the divergent political ideologies of the two sides. The KMT was a conservative and nationalist party seeking to preserve the traditional social and political structure in China while the PLA represented Marxist-Leninist principles of communism and sought to create a new revolutionary government in the nation.
Before the civil war, China had been ruled by a series of dynasties beginning in 221 BCE with the Qin dynasty and ending in 1912 with the Qing dynasty. This long period of dynastic rule fostered a deep sense of cultural identity among the Chinese people and created a strong disdain for foreign powers who were seen as trying to dominate and exploit China. In response to this sentiment, the nationalist KMT party was founded in 1911 with the goal of unifying China and creating an independent nation free from the control of outside forces. In 1912, the Republic of China was proclaimed with Sun Yat-sen as its president.
While the KMT was promoting nationalism in China, another form of political ideology was gaining popularity – Communism. Marxism had been introduced to China by European traders, missionaries and returning Chinese students who had studied abroad in Europe. It soon became popular with laborers, students and intellectuals in the country who saw it as a way to end poverty and social injustice. By 1920, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was formed and by 1921 it had established ties with the Russian Communist Party.
The emergence of the CCP caused tension between the CCP and the KMT and in 1926 their differences came to a head during the Northern Expedition when the KMT attempted to overthrow the ruling warlords in China and reunite the nation under the banner of the Republic of China. During the expedition, the two sides clashed numerous times but eventually the KMT emerged victorious and the warlords were deposed.
Despite this success, the relationship between the communists and nationalists only continued to deteriorate. While the KMT sought to maintain China’s traditional culture, the communists were calling for radical reform and change. The KMT also sought to maintain a strong centralized government while the communists wanted to redistribute power and decentralize the government. These differences ultimately led to open hostilities between the two sides in 1927 which marked the start of the Chinese Civil War.
Over the course of the war, the two sides clashed over various issues such as control of resources and land reform. The KMT used their superior military might and economic backing to gain the upper hand early on but eventually the PLA was able to turn the tide by receiving support from the Soviet Union who provided them with military training and weapons. By 1949, the communists had gained the advantage and on October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong declared the formation of the People’s Republic of China, thus ending the Chinese Civil War.
In conclusion, the main cause of the Chinese Civil War was the divergent political ideologies of the KMT and the CCP. The KMT sought to preserve the traditional culture and maintain a centralized government while the CCP wanted to bring about reform and decentralization. These ideological differences coupled with outside interference from the Soviet Union and other foreign powers ultimately led to the conflict that lasted from 1927 to 1950.