Long March

The Long March was the Chinese Communist Red Army’s strategic retreat across China from 1934 to 1935, escaping Nationalist encirclement and reshaping the Communist leadership.

Encirclement Campaigns: Military operations designed to surround and destroy an opposing force. Nationalist encirclement campaigns forced the Red Army to abandon its base areas.
Chinese Civil War: The conflict between Chinese Communist and Nationalist forces, fought intermittently from 1927 to 1949. The Long March was a pivotal episode within this prolonged struggle.
Mao Zedong: A Chinese Communist revolutionary who led the People’s Republic of China from its founding in 1949 until 1976. The Zunyi Conference strengthened his influence over the party and military.
Yan'an: A city in Shaanxi that served as the Chinese Communist Party’s base from 1937 to 1947. The march’s survivors gathered in the region around Yan’an and built a durable base.
First Front Army: The main Red Army force that left Jiangxi in 1934 and reached northern Shaanxi in 1935. Its route is most commonly identified with the Long March.
Jiangxi Soviet: A Chinese Communist base area in Jiangxi province that existed from 1931 to 1934. The First Front Army began its retreat from this Communist stronghold.
Chinese Communist Party: A political party founded in 1921 that established the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The party organized the forces undertaking the retreat and later shaped its official memory.
Zhou Enlai: A Chinese Communist leader and statesman who served as premier of the People’s Republic of China from 1949 to 1976. He played a senior role in military and political decisions during the march.
Mao Zedong Thought: The body of political and military ideas associated with Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party. The march’s account helped establish Mao’s authority and later revolutionary doctrine.
Second Front Army: A Red Army force that began its own long retreat from Hunan in 1935. Its later journey broadened the Long March beyond the first army’s route.

Linked from 33 pages