Reasons for
CCP’s Victory
AND
KMT’s Defeat
Leadership
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
1) The CCP’s leadership was excellent at all levels
• Faithful Supporters of Mao Zedong from the Long
March(1934-35)
• Strong spirit of brotherhood and unity
• Cooperated effectively in Military actions
2) CCP chose their followers on merit (real ability)
3) In the battlefield, the CCP generals had a wide scope of
powers to make the most suitable decision
Leadership
The Kuo Ming Tang (KMT)
1) KMT generals were corrupt and divided
• Personal rivalries made cooperation against the CCP
impossible.
2)
Chiang Kai-shek only chose his men only for their
personal loyalty to him
• Lead to many generals to be inefficient and cowardly
3) Generals had to wait for Chiang’s orders before action could be
taken
• Delayed military action and many errors do his ignorance for
military advise.
Leadership
4) Chiang
was highly suspicious of his
followers
• Really able and experienced commanders were
distrusted
• Often recalled and replace commanders of his army
5) Corruption was widespread within the KMT leadership
• Some generals even stole and sold government
properties to the CCP
Strategy
CCP
• The CCP’s military strategy was successful
• It was fast, moving guerrilla warfare and was modern
and revolutionary
• Efforts of destruction were focused on the central and
most efficient troops led by Chiang Kai-Shek
• Divided the enemy units before destroying them one
by one at KMT’s weakest points through surprise
attacks
Strategy
KMT
• The KMT was greedy for territories
• Chiang Kai-Shek did not seem to follow any long-term
plan
• Tried to blindly occupy the largest expanse of Chinese
territories, not focusing on the strength of the CCP
• Lead to KMT troops spread thinly along
communication lines and in the cities
• Allowed communists to move freely about in the
countryside
Strategy
KMT
• Also lacked experience unlike the CCP (from the 2nd
Sino Japanese War)
• Chiang ignorant of his American advisers and made
many serious mistakes
• The KMT’s Secrecy about its strategic plans were also
not well kept
Morale
CCP
• The soldiers fought bravely
• Filled with a sense of mission : The unavoidable final
victory of communism
• Shared a common revolutionary experience and have
a common ideal to fight (and die) for
• Also, most troops were recruited from the north – in
this way they fought to defend what they regarded as
their homeland (patriotism)
• High Morale
KMT Govt.
Morale
KMT
• Soldiers were badly paid and fed
• Training and discipline were poor
• Soldiers found it meaningless to fight, especially with
harsh treatment from the KMT government
• Unfamiliar surrounding of North China
• Morale was low
Resulted in
• Large number of KMT soldiers going over to the CCP’s
side – support gained via re-education
Social Factors - Peasants
CCP
• Broad support from the peasants
• Treated the peasants in captured areas well like their own
family
• Many peasants volunteered to join the Communist troops
KMT
• Lack of social support
• Neglected welfare of peasants and
treated them badly
• Unfair conscription – Only peasants and
faced harsh conditions in the army
• More died of starving
• Lack of training further increased their casualties
Social Factors – Other Social
Classes
• The KMT depended heavily on the middle class, gentry
landlords and city merchants for support
• Serious inflation and KMT corruption led to the KMT
being abandoned.
KMT
Political Factors
• The CCP succeeded in building up a reputation of an
honest government during the 8-year war with Japan
and after it
• However, the KMT government had lost much of the
people’s confidence as it did not fulfill a government’s
responsibility