Chinese Civil War

The conflict between the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang that ended with Communist victory on the mainland and the Kuomintang’s retreat to Taiwan.

Liaoshen Campaign: A 1948 campaign in Manchuria in which Communist forces captured major cities and defeated Nationalist armies. Its outcome deprived the Nationalists of their strongest northern position and opened the road south.
Chinese Civil War (1927–1937): The first major phase of armed conflict between the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang, interrupted by the war against Japan. Its unresolved rivalry and surviving armies formed the background to the postwar war.
People's Republic of China: The state established by the Chinese Communist Party on the mainland on October 1, 1949. Communist victory in the civil war established this government and ended Kuomintang rule on the mainland.
Kuomintang: A Chinese political party that led the Republic of China and fought the Chinese Communist Party for control of the country. Its defeat, despite governing the internationally recognized Chinese state, is the conflict’s central reversal.
Huaihai Campaign: A 1948–1949 campaign in eastern China that ended with the destruction or capture of large Nationalist forces. The loss of this central-front army sharply weakened the Nationalist government’s ability to defend the Yangtze.
Second United Front: A wartime alliance between the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang against Japanese aggression, formed in 1937. The alliance suspended open conflict without resolving the parties’ competition for power.
Republic of China: The state founded in 1912 that continued under Kuomintang rule on Taiwan after 1949. The Nationalist retreat preserved a rival Chinese government across the Taiwan Strait.
Chinese Communist Party: A political party founded in 1921 that established the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Its rural mobilization and military organization contrasted with the Nationalists’ declining support.
Pingjin Campaign: A 1948–1949 campaign in northern China that brought Beijing and Tianjin under Communist control. Its negotiated surrender and capture of Tianjin consolidated Communist control of North China.
Second Sino-Japanese War: China’s war against Japanese invasion from 1937 to 1945, fought during the wider Second World War. Japan’s defeat left rival Chinese armies positioned to compete for territory and political authority.

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