The Defeat of Japan, 1945

How did China contribute to victory over Japan?

On September 2nd, 1945, Japan surrendered to the Allies. The GMD and the CCP made different contributions to this victory.

What was the role of the GMD in China defeating Japan during the Second World War?

The GMD, under Chiang Kai-shek, contributed to Japan's defeat in the following 7 ways:

• ❖ After the battles of 1938, Chiang Kai-shek retreated to his capital, Chongqing, to conserve his forces.
• ❖ The nationalist government was highly corrupt. Officers stole war supplies from the Americans and sold them to both the Japanese and the communists.
• ❖ American forces in China were so disgusted by the state of the GMD forces, they did not trust them.
• ❖ The Japanese had conquered most of the territory they wanted by 1938 and the GMD left them alone for the majority of the war.
• ❖ After 1942, Chiang Kai-shek adopted a strategy of trading territory for time against the Japanese. He was willing to let the Japanese take large parts of China so he could save his best troops to destroy the CCP once the Second World War ended.
• ❖ The GMD spent more time hunting down and destroying communist forces than they did fighting the Japanese.
• ❖ Some of Chiang Kai-shek's best troops did fight bravely and were well led.

What was the role of the CCP in China defeating Japan during the Second World War?

The CCP, under Mao Zedong, contributed to Japan's defeat in the following 4 ways:

• ❖ The CCP ruled the Yanan base area and liberated areas of China fairly, efficiently and honestly.
• ❖ Mao Zedong and the Red Army won over the peasants as they did not loot, rape or destroy like the Japanese and GMD forces.
• ❖ Apart from the Hundred Regiments campaign, the CCP did little fighting against the Japanese.
• ❖ The CCP fought a guerrilla war that was more about spreading its influence before fighting resumed with the GMD.

Which countries other than Japan, were involved in China at the end of the Second World War?

Both the Americans and the Russians had forces in China in 1945 for the following 5 reasons:

• ❖ American forces had bomber airbases in central and southern China. They were used to bomb Manchuria, Formosa (Taiwan) and Japan. Most were closed in September 1945.
• ❖ American officers were in China to offer advice and training to the GMD, enabling it to continue fighting in the war.
• ❖ The Soviet Union agreed at the Yalta Conference in February 1945 to join the war against Japan.
• ❖ On 9th-20th August 1945, the Soviet Union invaded Manchuria with over 1.5 million soldiers and over 5000 tanks. They over-ran the Japanese forces in Manchuria and Northern Korea.
• ❖ By 1945, both the Soviet Union and the USA were supplying weapons to the Republic of China. They both wanted to continue to have influence over the government.

What was the outcome for China from the defeat of Japan in the Second World War?

The defeat of Japan in August 1945 resulted in 7 key outcomes for China:

• ❖ Stalin always recognised Chiang Kai-shek as the President of the Chinese Republic and gave very little support to the CCP. He made a promise to Chiang Kai-shek not to interfere in China.
• ❖ The USA was very concerned about the CCP, which now controlled large areas of China. The Americans wanted to strengthen the GMD, and occupied Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing with US troops.
• ❖ The USA began to use its airforce and airfields to move GMD troops to Manchuria and other places liberated by the Soviets to stop the CCP from taking control there.
• ❖ The USA wanted to prevent the civil war from continuing and flew Mao Zedong to Chongqing to negotiate with Chiang Kai-shek. Negotiations lasted several months but neither side could agree to share power with the other.
• ❖ In 1946, the Americans sent their top general, George C Marshall, to China to bring the GMD and CCP together.
• ❖ Chiang Kai-shek began using his secret police to assassinate any and all rival political parties, which quickly led to an outbreak of civil war in 1946. The USA's efforts had failed and now only force would resolve the issue of who would lead China.
• ❖ Marshall tried to arrange a truce between the two sides. This worked for a few months but the CCP used it to strengthen its position. By January 1937, fighting began again.