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Japanese announce surrender to Allied forces
The Surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan was announced by Japan on August 15 and formally signed on September 2, 1945, bringing the hostilities of World War II to a close. -
USSR occupies Manchuria
Soviet Occupation of Manchuria
Soviets occupy Manchuria and arrest Emperor Puyi of Manchukuo (former heir of the Qing dynasty). Under the terms of the Japanese unconditional surrender dictated by the United States, Japanese troops were ordered to surrender to GMD troops and not to the CCP present in some of the occupied areas. In Manchuria, however, where the GMD had no forces, the Japanese surrendered to the Soviet Union. -
US transport GMD forces to key Chinese cities to accept surrender of Japanese troops in person
US 10th Air Force airlifted over 110,000 of Chiang's best American-trained troops to key cities. Japanese commanders were told not to surrender to the Communists, and in many cases they continued to clash with CCP forces until GMD officials arrived. The CCP, for their part, were instructed by their commander in chief Zhu De to force Japanese officers to surrender directly to them whenever possible after which the Communists would take on the task of maintaining local law and order. -
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US transport GMD forces to key Chinese cities to accept surrender of Japanese troops in person
US 10th Air Force airlifted over 110,000 of Chiang's best American-trained troops to key cities. Japanese commanders were told not to surrender to the Communists, and in many cases they continued to clash with CCP forces until GMD officials arrived. The CCP, for their part, were instructed by their commander in chief Zhu De to force Japanese officers to surrender directly to them whenever possible after which the Communists would take on the task of maintaining local law and order. -
US Ambassador Hurley organizes CCP-GMD talks
Ambassador Hurley had to personally escort Mao from Yan'an to Chongqing for Mao to agree to negotiations.Result of talks = publication of mutually agreed upon principles including:- political democracy- unified military force- equal legal status for all political parties- freedom of person, religion, speech, press, and assembly- local government elections -
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US Ambassador Hurley organizes CCP-GMD talks
Ambassador Hurley had to personally escort Mao from Yan'an to Chongqing for Mao to agree to negotiations. Result of talks = publication of mutually agreed upon principles including:
- political democracy
- unified military force
- equal legal status for all political parties
- freedom of person, religion, speech, press, and assembly
- local government elections -
Major clash between CCP and GMD forces in Manchuria (Shanhaiguan pass)
USSR is still occupying Manchuria, and officially is only allowing the Japanese to surrender to the GMD per the treaty. However, the USSR are stopping trains from transporting large amounts of GMD troops into the area and are closing ports for the same reason. Therefore, the GMD can only airlift small amounts of soldiers into the major cities of Manchuria. Meanwhile, CCP forces are flooding the area. Finally GMD forces land at Qinhuangdao port and march north to Shanhaiguan pass... -
Zhou Enlai returns to Yan'an and US Amb Hurley resigns
Due to the agressive outbreak of military hostilities in Manchuria, Zhou Enlai - who had stayed on as mediator in Chongquing, flew back to Yan'an. Due to his failure to bring the GMD and CCP together, the US Ambassador Hurley resigns. -
Truman sends Gen. Marshall to mediate
US President Truman sent General George Marshall, the highly respected former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as his envoy to China -
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Marshall Mission
The Marshall Mission (December 20, 1945 – January 1947) was a failed diplomatic mission undertaken by United States Army General George C. Marshall to China in an attempt to negotiate the Communist Party of China and the Nationalists (Kuomintang) into a unified government. -
Ceasefire arranged by Marshall
Marshall persuaded Chiang Kai-shek to work toward convening the assembly he had discussed with Mao Zedong previously in the fall. 38 delegates assembled in Nanjing for a conference. 8 GMD delegates, 7 CCP delegates, 5 delegates from new Youth Party (goal was peace in China), 2 delegates from the Democratic League (libeal intellectuals of China, mostly) -
USSR begins secret withdrawals from Manchuria
In order to buy time for the CCP to strengthen its position in Manchuria, the Soviets had delayed withdrawal of its troops. Twice. As a result, in February 1946, large-scale anti-Soviet protest campaigns were launched by citizens loyal to the GMD. Therefore, Stalin ordered Soviet troops to begin leaving Manchuria, but to do so secretly at first - thus giving the CCP an opportunity to occupy the vacated territory. On the night March 10, 1946, the Soviets secretly withdrew from Shenyang, -
anti-American demonstrations widespread
On Christmas Eve 1946 a female Peking University student weas raped by an American soldier, while another US soldier held her down. Leftist activists widely publicized the event, translating the woman as a physical representation of China and the US soldier as a representation of US imperialist actions against China - namely that the US was favoring the GMD with aid. This interference in domestic affairs was seen as a clear invasion of Chinese sovereignty by those not sympathetic to the GMD. -
GMD National Assembly adopts a new constitution without CCP
The GMD made changes to the GMD-CCP conference agreements, limiting the veto power of the CCP and the Democratic League. The CCP and DL refused to continue to cooperate until the changes were reversed. Instead, a National Assembly was summoned by the GMD without the participation of the CCP and adopted the Constitution of the Republic of China on Dec 25, 1946. The constitution was therefore fiercely criticized by the CCP, and led to the final break between the two sides. -
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Mao announces land reforms
This has been called “unrestricted revolutionary terror”. Landlords, rich peasants, suspected enemy agents or anyone else seen as a threat to CCP control were subjected to “struggle sessions” that forced victims to kneel, hear shouted accusations, wear posters or caps proclaiming their guilt, and endure interrogations that involved physical abuse and sleep deprivation. They frequently ended in severe beatings, orture, and executions. The goal: to support a large conventional army with food. -
Yan'an falls to the GMD
Yan'an had served as the capital of Red China from the end of the Long March in 1935, through World War II, until its capture in 1947. The earlier KMT campaigns in the 1930s had been a failure. There was only token Red resistance, as most Reds had already fled in advance in a strategic withdrawal -
Truman sends Gen Wedemeyer back to China
Wedemeyer Mission 1947
President Truman sent General Wedemeyer back to China on a special mission to assess the current conditions in China’s civil war. Wedemeyer returned with recommendations for large-scale aid to the Nationalists. Although a strong U.S> “China lobby” supported this position, it went against the views of others in the Truman administration, who saw the Nationalists as a lost cause. -
Marshall Plan passed by US Congress. Included the China Aid Act - aid sent to GMD again
The Marshall Plan was an American initiative to aid Europe, in which the United States gave $13 billion (approximately $120 billion in current dollar value) in economic support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II. Part of the Marshall Plan included the China Aid Act and subsequently appropriated $400 million for aid to the GMD, $125 million of which was supposed to be available for military aid. -
Battle of Huai-Hai begins
Battle of Huaihai 淮海戰役 Military action during 1948 and 1949 that was the decisive battle of the Chinese Civil War. It was one of the few conventional battles of the war. 550,000 troops of the Republic of China (led by Kuomintang) were surrounded in Xuzhou (Hsuchow) and destroyed by the communist People's Liberation Army (PLA). This campaign is one of the three campaigns that marked the end of Nationalist dominance in northern China, -
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Huaihai Campaign
Battle of Huaihai 淮海戰役 Military action during 1948 and 1949 that was the decisive battle of the Chinese Civil War. It was one of the few conventional battles of the war. 550,000 troops of the Republic of China (led by Kuomintang) were surrounded in Xuzhou (Hsuchow) and destroyed by the communist People's Liberation Army (PLA). This campaign is one of the three campaigns that marked the end of Nationalist dominance in northern China, -
GMD loses Battle of Huai-Hai
Battle of Huaihai 淮海戰役 Military action during 1948 and 1949 that was the decisive battle of the Chinese Civil War. It was one of the few conventional battles of the war. 550,000 troops of the Republic of China (led by Kuomintang) were surrounded in Xuzhou (Hsuchow) and destroyed by the communist People's Liberation Army (PLA). This campaign is one of the three campaigns that marked the end of Nationalist dominance in northern China, -
CCP captures Nanjing
On 21 April, Communist forces crossed the Yangtze River, and on 23 April they captured the GMDs capital, Nanjing. The GMD government retreated to Canton (Guangzhou) until October 15, Chongqing until November 25, and then Chengdu before retreating to Taiwan on December 10. Chinese Civil War statistics available here -
Mao announces the establishment of the People's Republic of China
Mao Zedong proclaims People’s Republic of China Naming himself head of state, communist revolutionary Mao Zedong officially proclaims the existence of the People’s Republic of China; Zhou Enlai is named premier. The loss of China, to communism was a severe blow to the United States, which was still reeling from the Soviet Union’s detonation of a nuclear device one month earlier. -
CCP captures Shanghai
The Shanghai Campaign: May 12 - June 2 1949 The campaign cost the GMD heavily, with the exception of 50,000 troops, including the GMD commander-in-chief Tang Enbo, who managed to escape via sea. -
Chiang flees to Taiwan
Chiang and the remaining GMD forces fled to the island of Taiwan. There Chiang established a government in exile which he led for the next 25 years. This government continued to be recognised by many countries as the legitimate government of China, and Taiwan controlled China's seat in the United Nations until the end of Chiang's life. He died on 5 April 1975.
