HW 4

1. The Communists made use of their territory; they were fighting on land that was familiar to them, so they were able to take advantage of it for guerrilla attacks. They were also able to convince the population to do what they wanted. Civilians helped the Communists by keeping their resources away from the Guomindang, and many even joined the Communists' army. A third reason for the success of the Communists was the aid they received from Russia, which helped them by setting up a Military Advisory Group.

2. This source suggests that foreign aid from Russia was the most important strategy that "tipped the scale" so that the Communists could defeat the Nationalists. Russia supplied the Chinese Communists with information and gave them advice about military tactics.

3. The sources all seem to agree that guerrilla warfare was a very important part of the Communists' victory. However, Jung Chang's view seems to be that Mao took such tactics to unnecessary levels, using terror in order to defeat the Guomindang. Jung Chang also puts a greater emphasis on the importance of Russian assistance.

4. The GRU was the organization responsible for Soviet military intelligence. CCP refers to the Chinese Communist Party. HQ means headquarters, likely referring to that of Chiang Kaishek, which was infiltrated by Russian spies.

5. It could be argued that Russia had a more important role in leadership than Mao did. According to Jung Chang, the advice and intelligence provided by the Soviets were what allowed Mao to lead his soldiers effectively in the first place.

6. This source claims that the Nationalists were more patriotic in fighting the Japanese, and that history has been rewritten to make the Communists look better.

7. Based on the other sources I have read, I do not believe the above claim. Other sources provided examples of Communist propaganda supporting the war against Japan, while this source offers no evidence to support the idea that the Nationalists were in fact the ones who wanted to form a united front.

8. This source says that the Japanese invasion helped Mao rise to power because the Nationalists suspended their war with the Communists in order to defend their country from Japan.