The long march using Source B

Authors Avatar

Question 2: Study source B, why did the Long March begin? Use Source B and your own knowledge.

‘We ourselves at the beginning did not know we were going on the Long March, and that it was going to be such a big thing’ (Source B)

The Long March was a huge military withdrawal made by the CCP to escape the GMD’s Fifth Extermination Campaign from the Jianxi Soviet in 1934. However as the quote suggests it was not an isolated event. The Long March was a result of long and short-term factors each with different social, political and military purposes. It was a 30 year procedure that lead resulted in the occurrence of the long march.

   A long-term factor was giving emperor Pu-Yi his tile in China 1908, followed by the death of empress Dowager Cixi, as well as Pu-Yi being two years old. This was surely, the start of the end for the Chinese Empire. Therefore, the unstable Dynasty of the Manchus was a key factor in motivating the Long March. The traditional values proved unpopular and encouraged the population of China to support political parties such as the  GMD. In 1911, rebellions parted the Chinese further from the Manchus and the huge political and social pressure forced Chung to abdicate on Pu-Yi’s behalf.  This encouraged the population to support political parties, such as the CCP and GMD led by Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-Shek , which resulted in the Long March of 1934. therefore China’s new status as a republic created a  power struggle as both groups tried to promote their different ideas for China. This important long-term factor would eventually build up with the Long March in 1934.

Join now!

   As a result of these different political views, both parties appealed to different groups of people. The GMD appealed to the educated and the Landowners, as they were a part of a higher class in society compared to the majority, the poor peasants who were under the influence of Zedong that came from a similar background. This led to continuing friction between the two parties. The GMD wanted a democratic future for China, whereas the CCP planned to give the lands back to the poor peasants. It soon became clear that neither could work side by side as they ...

This is a preview of the whole essay