The Long March was a historic event in Chinese military and political history. It was a processional retreat of the Red Army of the Communist Party of China during the Chinese Civil War, which consisted of a series of rapid and often difficult treks across vast swaths of Chinese territory between October 1934 and October 1935. At the time, its primary purpose was to evade annihilation by the National Revolutionary Army (NRA), the armed wing of the Kuomintang (KMT) which sought the dissolution of Mao Zedong’s Communist Party. The Long March was ultimately successful in preserving the Red Army and allowing them to build up their militaries and political presence in the areas they occupied, marking a major turning point in the Chinese Civil War.
The term “Long March” was actually coined by Zhou Enlai, leader of the Chinese Communist Party and one of the principal architects of the march itself. In October of 1934, following a period of intense fighting between the two warring sides, the Red Army found themselves trapped in their stronghold of Jiangxi Province, hemmed in on all sides by an encircling NRA force led by General Chiang Kai-shek. With the possibility of their total annihilation looming, the Communist Party made the strategic decision to break out from this trap and begin a long march north and west, skirting around the NRA’s encirclement.
On October 16th, 1934, eighty thousand Red Army soldiers began the exodus from their stronghold in Jiangxi Province into the surrounding countryside. In order to evade detection, the marching army split up into small groups and marched for weeks on end with little rest, relying on the rugged terrain to protect them. They also made use of deceptive maneuvers in order to throw off their pursuers, such as periodically reversing their direction of travel or deliberately giving false information about their movements.
The Long March was fraught with danger and difficulty. The Red Army endured punishing cold, hunger, and fatigue while they marched. Diseases such as malaria, cholera, and dysentery quickly spread among the soldiers, and countless Red Army soldiers died from exhaustion, starvation, or illness. Additionally, they were constantly harried and attacked by the NRA. They had to frequently engage in battles to ensure their safety and make sure that their supplies would last.
In spite of these hardships, the Red Army was ultimately successful in its mission. After enduring almost a year of relentless marching and skirmishing, the surviving members of the Red Army eventually reached Shaanxi province, where they settled and reorganised. After the Long March, the Red Army was able to consolidate its hold on the area and build up its military strength. This secured a base from which the Communist Party could go on to win the civil war and eventually replace the KMT as the ruling party of China.
The Long March was a crucial juncture in Chinese history and marked a profound shift in the balance of power between the Communist and Nationalist forces. Although it was a grueling and perilous trek, the Red Army’s success allowed them to survive and become the winning side in the Chinese Civil War. The Long March stands today as a symbol of courage and determination in the face of adversity, and is a vivid reminder of the tough sacrifices required to achieve a revolutionary victory.