HSC National Study: China Writing Task The Nationalist Decade The Northern Expedition and its impact.

What impact did the Northern Expedition have on achieving political stability and unity in China? Background: How did the Northern Expedition come about? What was its purpose?

The Northern Expedition was sparked by the May Thirtieth Incident, which saw British Officers kill 11 Chinese people in 1925. This allowed for tension to brew as demonstrations were held because of this. Further attempts by foreign-influenced Chinese officers to subdue the protesters led to a further 52 Chinese killed. The Northern Expedition came about through the alliance between the Guomindang and the Chinese Communist Party under Chiang Kai-Shek and Mao Zedong, respectively, in 1926. Its purpose was defeat and exterminate the ruling warlords in the provinces of China to ensure a united China under one governing body. Why did the Communists work with the Nationalists to form the First United Front?

The Communists worked with the Nationalists to form the First United Front because the Soviet Comintern agent Alexander Borodin advised the Communists to unite with the Nationalists (but as separate bodies) because the Comintern supported the Guomindang and not the Chinese Communist Party. Soviet adviser about Chiang Kai-Shek: In order to obtain glory. He sometimes wants to utilise the masses, the Chinese Communist Party and ourselves. What were the major events? What did the Communists do? How much of its success was due to the Communists? What did the Nationalists do? How much its success was due to the Nationalists?

Major events 1926 Followed the same route as the Taiping Rebellion Hunan Hubei Hankou Hanyang Hubei - Wuchang

1926 1927 22 March 1927 26 March 1927 1927

Captured Hankou, Wuhan and Hanyang by 10 October 1926 Went to Nanchang, captured Nanjing Uprising by Communist workers to take Shanghai Chiang was able to enter Shanghai without firing a shot. Also, massacre by Chiangs troops of Communists (Shanghai Massacre). Wuhan Government expelled Chiang from the Guomindang; started own National Government at Nanjing Defeated warlord Zhang Zuolin and captured Beijing. Absorbed warlord forces into the Guomindang

1928

Actions Guomindang Organised the army Communists Educated the peasants in the provinces with Communist/Nationalist ideals United the peasants and workers in the warlord-controlled territories

20, 000 + peasants recruited into the army Shanghai Massacre: killed 50,000100,000 people including Communists/Communist sympathisers.

Successes The success of the Northern Expedition was due to the actions and decisions made by both the nationalist Guomindang and the Chinese Communist Party. As the major aim of the Northern Expedition was to get rid of the warlords, the Guomindang playes a great role in its success as it provided an army that can facilitate the expulsion of the warlords from the many warlord-governed provinces of China. The Guomindang forces executed effective preparation strategies prior to the Northern Expedition. These strategies included two years of

military training and equipment distribution for the Guomindang forces under Soviet guidance, the indoctrination of the Guomindang soldiers to fight with the ardent spirit of Nationalism, fiscal reforms in the Guomindang which redistributed funds into the Northern Expedition and obtaining financial aid from the Soviet Union. These tactics contributed to the success of the Northern Expedition as due to the strength of the Guomindang forces, the Nationalists and the Communists were able to unite China as the fragmented, disunified territories of the warlords meant that each warlord was able to be defeated one by one. The Chinese Communist Party members also contributed vastly to the success of the Northern Expedition as they were able to indoctrinate the peasants and the workers who lived in these warlord-controlled regions about the nature and importance of nationalism, which allowed them to unify under one ideology, thus contributing to the success of the Northern Expedition. The Chinese Communist Party's emphasis on the empowerment of the peasants set them in front of the Guomindang, as they were able to indoctrinate the peasants as they were able to cater to their needs. Why did Chiang order the Shanghai Massacre? What was its impact?

Li Dazhao: We are not opportunists who merely wish to use the Nationalist label to advance the Communist movement we join the Guomindang as individuals. Chiang Kai-Shek, due to his allegiance to the upper-middle classes of the Chinese public, including to bakers T.V. Soong and H.H. Kung, ordered the Shanghai Massacre in order to exterminate the Communists as he felt that the Communists would destroy the economy for the bankers. Trotsky: In preparing himself for the role of executioner he wanted to have the cover for world communism and got it.The Shanghai Massacre was also brought on by Borodin and the leftist/Communist Guomindang members' decision to strip him of his dictatorial powers in the government in Wuhan, which led to Chiang Kai-shek to hold surprise attacks on the Communists and workers. Political Stability: In defeating the warlords Chiang Kai-shek had established a Nationalist government in China. China now had one leader rather than the tumultuous rule of the warlords. The Northern Expedition helped to set up this stable government as the extermination of the warlord powers and the indoctrination of the peasants led to China being held by one government.

However, the political stability of the Nationalist government was only superficial and was covering over deep divisions and issues. The Northern Expedition created these divisions as it allowed Chiang Kai-shek to explore fascist-like ideals and be stringently against the Communists, as he was afraid that he was going to lose his military power, which was acted upon during the Shanghai Massacre. The aftermath of the Shanghai Massacre showed the rift between the many factions of the Guomindang and ultimately weakened its army, which allowed the warlord armies to rejuvenate itself and made it harder for the Guomindang to expel the warlords, which caused further internal instability in the Guomindang. Chiang Kai-shek wasfearful of the left and desperate for the acquiesces at least of the compradors and foreigners, Chiang moved against the communists.(Hock) National Unity: The Northern Expedition succeeded in overthrowing the warlords bringing unity to the chaos that had claimed China.The Guomindang established control over a wide area of China, as they had effectively recaptured Hunan, Hubei, Hankou, Hanyang, Wuchang, Shanghai and Beijing by defeating the warlordian armies and ousting the warlords from these provinces. Stalin stated that, not the unarmed people against the troops... but armed people in the form of its revolutionary army.The Guomindang did not have popular support in these areas due to their misconduct especially during the Shanghai massacre, where many workers were killed due to Chiang Kai-shek's fear of Communism. The appealing nature of Communist ideals also meant that many peasant workers in these areas did not support the Guomindang. Mao Zedong once said, seven hundred million peasants will rise like a mighty storm,because of Chiang Kai-shek's demeanour in dealing with his Communist fears. Essentially, as the Communists were able to bring about these seven hundred million peasantsto the Communist doctrine, the Chinese Communist Party essentially had control over the people who lived in the provinces which had warlord control. As historian, Robert Lee, stated,The expedition stimulated peasant and union activities, and expanded the influence and membership of the CCP.The warlords still had a certain amount of power over their territories, as only the Zhili Clique of warlords were successfully disbanded by the Northern Expedition. The warlord armies were able to coexist in some provinces with the nationalist government in power after the Northern Expedition. Likewise, the Japanese still occupied their concessions in China.