Rise of the Communists. The rise of the CCP was not solely due to their ideals, but rather the universal hate for the Guomindang and the Japanese that all CCP members had.
By Anomaly44
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Confucian Ideals Reign Supreme (Long Term, Politics/Economics)
Confucianism has been around for approximately 2 millenia, so I think it's safe to say that it is a long term cause of the growth of Communism.
Confucian ideals caused a large economic gap between the classes within China. When the concept of Communism was introduced to the poor, they saw it as an opportunity to be freed from their imprisonment. A perfect example is when Comrade Wang rallied the peasants of the Shi village to rebel from their oppressing officials (Shuyun, Drain the Pond). -
The May Fourth Movement (Short Term, Imperialism)
Took place on one day, therefore short term.
The May 4th Movement was the first time that a large group of Chinese recognized the need for change within Chinese society. The movement protested international affairs as well as its reaction against the warlords of China. Mao Zedong was deeply influenced by this movement (Bradeen and Ye, Early Republican...). -
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Encirclement Campaigns
LONG TERM, NATIONALISM
The encirclement campaign takes over four years, and it also leaves a lasting effect on the CCP, so it should be labeled as long term.
The EC proved to many peasants that the Guomindang were more focused on taking out the CCP than the Japanese. This caused peasants to dislike the Guomindang more, resulting in more support for the CCP, who created a strong nationalist bond with the people (Bradeen and Ye, United Fronts: The Guomindang vs. the Communists). -
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Long March (Long Term, Nationalism)
When the CCP began their march to evade the Guomindang, they hadn't predicted that it would shape people's vision of Communism. By marching the incedibly long distance, the Chinese were shown how hard working and dedicated the CCP were. If everyone in China could be like that, then surely China would become strong! This logic would cause many people to join the CCP and believe in their vision (Bradeen and Ye, Guomindang vs. the Communists). -
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Yan'an Period (Long Term, Politics)
The Yan'an Period lasted 8 years, so it would be a long term event.
This was a period when Mao Zedong was able to recuperate his forces and focus on growing CCP numbers. He focused on bringing peasants into the CCP, and adapting Communism to what he thought would be needed to bring China back to power (Gould, China Occupied...). -
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Mao Zedong pushes for Maoism (Long Term, Economics/Politics)
Mao pushed to bring Maoism to many throughout an 8 year period, therefore garnering the title of a long term event.
During the Yan'an Period, Mao gained followers by giving promises of land ownership and victory against the Japanese. His strategy for gaining followers included using their hatred for an invading country. Their attack on Manchuria gave the Chinese somthing to rally togther against (Gould, China Occupied...). -
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Second Sino-Japanese War (Nationalism)
A long term war between China and Japan should be classified as a long term event.
Japan's attack on China gave the CCP something to convince the peasants to join them to fight. If Japan hadn't invaded, the Goumindang would have been able to easily crush the CCP. Instead, the Japanese distracted the Guomindang enough to keep the CCP alive, and gave the Chinese people a reason to unite under one flag (Gould, China Occupied...). -
Nanjing Massacare (Short Term, Nationalism)
The Nanjing massacare occured over only a few days, so it should be defined as a short term cause.
The massacare resulted in the deaths of many. Both Guomindang soldiers and civilians were killed by the Japanese. Not only did this cause a loss in Guomindang military strength, but it also resulted in more people flocking to the CCP. People began to realize who the true enemy was, and saw that the CCP was more focused on fighting the Japanese than the Gruomindang (Gould, China Occupied...).