The Chinese Civil War, also known as the Chinese Revolution or the Chinese-Japanese War, was a conflict between the armies of the Nationalist and Communist forces that lasted from 1927 to 1950. It began with the overthrow of the Chinese monarchy and ended in a stalemate with the formation of the People’s Republic of China.
The war began in 1927 when the Kuomintang (KMT), led by Chiang Kai-shek, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) led by Mao Zedong, both declared themselves the legitimate government of China. The KMT, also known as the ‘Nationalists’, were primarily supported by the Western powers who saw them as allies against communism. The CCP, backed by the Soviet Union, had the goal of creating a communist state in China.
The earliest fighting between the two sides came from skirmishes fought in rural areas and small towns. By 1933, civil war was no longer confined to the countryside and escalated into a full-fledged conflict involving large-scale battles. Chiang Kai-shek’s forces were defeated in the Battle of Shanghai in 1937 and retreated to Taiwan, from where they made sporadic efforts to reclaim the mainland.
In 1945, both sides declared a ceasefire in order to focus on the fight against Japan during the Second World War. However, hostilities resumed within a few months after the Japanese defeat. The KMT attempted to regain their lost territories but suffered a series of devastating defeats.
In 1949, the CCP declared victory and set up a new government in Beijing. The KMT was forced to retreat to Taiwan, where it remains a rival state to this day. The Civil War was officially declared over in 1950 when a cease-fire agreement was signed.
The CCP’s victory ended centuries of imperial rule in China and ushered in a period of unprecedented social, political and economic change. Within a few years, the newly-established People’s Republic of China had established diplomatic relations with many countries and become a major world power.
The Chinese Civil War was one of the longest-running conflicts in the 20th century and resulted in the death of millions of people. The end of the war marked a new era in Chinese history, paving the way for a unified, socialist nation.