Both sources A and B are interpretations by historians attempting to explain the Long March - They disagree on what they tell us. Why is this the case?

AS and A Level History

History Coursework Assignment Year 11

China in the twentieth century

Question 1

Both sources A and B are interpretations by historians attempting to explain the Long March. They disagree on what they tell us. Why is this the case?

Explain your answer using Sources A and B and your own knowledge.

[10 marks] (500 words)

Source A's interpretation of the Long March makes the Red Army seem heroic. The commitment and sheer determination that enabled the several hundred thousand men to cover 6000 miles in a year is aimed to amaze the audience. The three Chinese historians say that the 'Red Army defeated all KMT attempts to overtake, surround and destroy it.' This is an exaggeration from the authors, as they do not mention that the Red Army suffered losses of over 80%. They have decided not to mention this fact intentionally as the purpose of this source is to present the Red Army as a success. Many people supported the Chinese Communist Party however in the source they say 'it received support of people all along its route and victoriously completed its historic mission.' This statement I feel is extravagant to persuade the reader of the Red Army's qualities.

I can see why the three Chinese historians have used the word 'unconquerable'. In 1937 when Japan began a full-scale invasion of China it bought terrible hardship to the people. The Chinese were used as slave labour to make goods for the Japanese war effort. They tortured and beat people. The Kuomintang retreated into safe areas. The Nationalist Government did little to help ordinary people. On the other hand the Red Army fought bravely aided by the peasants. They took control of the countryside and won the hearts of people in China. This is what 'inspired the people of the whole country.'

Since three Chinese historians wrote this source on the Long March they probably have a biased view of the situation. Obviously they would support Communist ideas and therefore have a reason to distort or exaggerate the situation. As they were eyewitnesses to the events this makes the source more reliable. When this source was produced it was probably intended to be seen by peasants to promote their success. Since this source is secondary we do not know if they have researched the events thoroughly.

This source does not tell the historian whether or not the Red Army succeeded in the Long March, it only comments on the victories of the Red Army, they do not comment on the difficulties and troubles encountered and they have not included the death toll. They have been selective with the information included.

Source B however gives a completely different impression to Source A. Source B's interpretation of the Long March emphasises the loss in army numbers and how they were 'completely helpless.' In this source the Red Army are much more vulnerable than Source A. The Red ...

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This source does not tell the historian whether or not the Red Army succeeded in the Long March, it only comments on the victories of the Red Army, they do not comment on the difficulties and troubles encountered and they have not included the death toll. They have been selective with the information included.

Source B however gives a completely different impression to Source A. Source B's interpretation of the Long March emphasises the loss in army numbers and how they were 'completely helpless.' In this source the Red Army are much more vulnerable than Source A. The Red Army 'flee' whereas in Source A they 'defeated' by

the Kuomintang. This source indicates to the reader that the Red Army was unsuccessful in the Long March.

We know that this book was printed in 1971 in Taiwan. Chiang Kai- Shek's army was not well prepared even though his army outnumbered that of the Communists 4 to 1. The Red Army swept south and 300,000 remaining KMT forces fled to Taiwan. I feel that the author of this source was in favour of the KMT as he describes the Red Army as having difficulties. This source is written by an eyewitness which makes the source more reliable. Since this book was printed in Taiwan where the Kuomintang fled it could be biased.

This source is limited in telling us the successes of the Red Army, whether the Red Army were victorious, whether the KMT had power and what effect it had on the people of China. This source is selective as it only includes the difficulties and negative points about the Red Army.

Question 2

How significant was the Long March in the history of China in the Twentieth Century?

[15 marks] (1000 words)

In the early 1930s, the Kuomintang unsuccessfully attempted at several occasions to destroy the Communist stronghold, which was moving eastward. They finally decided on sending large armies to inner China; this triggered the Chinese Communist Party's Long March, which lasted a year and a half. The expedition had a double objective: flee the Kuomintang and reconcile the Red Army with the peasants.

Whilst emerging as the Chinese Communist Party's new leader, Mao established rules of conduct in villages as well as jobs to do, such as teaching and healing. It is really during the Long March that a large portion of Chinese population first encountered and subsequently adopted the Marxist beliefs. Nevertheless, the Chinese Communist Party suffered heavy casualties. From the 100 000 members who departed only 20 000 arrived at destination, including the newcomers recruited along the way. The Long March was probably the key event that brought the Chinese Communist Party to power. The success of this first step yielded a formula that greatly influenced the upcoming events in communist China.

The Long March is still seen as one of the most important events in China's history for the following effects:

It kept Communism alive in China (LT)
It was a huge practical and propagandist victory. The soldiers were marching through the countryside spreading the ideas of communism. Soon everybody was talking about Mao Tse- tung and the fantastic story of human determination. (ST)
This march established Mao Tse-tung as the main leader of the Chinese Communist Party. (ST)

The 1911 Revolution of the Double Tenth overthrew the old imperial regime and a period of Nationalist government of China began. This was the end of 4,000 years of the hated Manchu Dynasty. China was ruled by the Kuomintang, under Dr Sun Yat- Sen. The new government faced threats from local warlords and the Japanese. This caused the Kuomintang and Chinese Communist party to work together. The Kuomintang wanted to make China a liberal, modern and capitalist country. Their aims for China were announced in 1921 as the 'three people's principles'

Nationalism- China should become a strong, united country and foreign interference should be stopped.

Democracy- China should prepare its illiterate people to become participants in a democratic process where they would choose their own government.

People's livelihood- Peasants would be given their own land.

The 1911 Revolution meant that young educated Chinese were more aware of new ideas in the West and in Japan. They disliked the old order, both social conditions and nature of government and therefore took action. This Revolution led to the combining of the Kuomintang and Communist party. Both parties wanted to make China an industrial power but there were also differences. The 'friendship' between the two parties meant they could defeat the warlords and become stonger as a country. However after Sun Yat Sen died the tension between the parties grew as the Chinese Communist Party was provoking a Communist Reform. This tension led to the Long March. As a result of the 1911 Revolution, the decline of traditional ethics and the family system was accelerated, the independence of women was initiated, a native literature emerged and China made political developments. The movement also spurred the successful reorganisation of the Kuomintang, the Nationalist Party later ruled by Chiang Kai-shek, and stimulated the birth of the Chinese Communist Party as well. Although the 1911 affected Chinese history it did not have a significant long-term effect unlike the Long March. The Long March meant that China became communist. Life in general changed for the better for the people as they got rid of landlords, the Chinese currency was stabilised, more basic education, women given better rights, healthcare free and cities were cleaned. For this reason I feel that the Long March had a greater impact.

June 4th 1989 is the most tragic event in recent Chinese history (Tiananmen Square massacre), and was one of those truly rare turning points in recent memory. Students gathered together in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to peacefully protest for democracy. Obviously they believed that democracy was coming, as already capitalistic ideas were at work and the presidential visits from democratic countries became more frequent, and were only trying to speed up the process. However, Deng was not going to change his politics. In the West, the massacre was seen as a turning point, as people waited to see if civil war would erupt. Nothing happened. The massacre was the most unpredictable event in China, although economically capitalistic ideas were used freely, it was seen now that China would stand firm to Communist politics. Some believe that the events of Tiananmen Square were due to Deng had become old, and wanted to return to the “good old days”. However, with his death in 1997 nothing changed, and so Communism in China was to remain.

Without the Long March communism may never have come into existence. Tiananmen Square is significant in the history of China as it shows the disadvantages of Communism. The massacre and the mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of troops shows how little the communist leadership has changed. A long-term effect of the Long March is that people did not have any freedom of thought because they had to follow Communist rules and were subjected to endless propaganda. Both the Tiananmen Square massacre and Long March had a high death toll, which had a dramatic short-term effect. However the Long March resulted in victory for communism and defeat for the pro democratic demonstrations. The victory from the Long March however had a greater impact on Chinese history as it had a long term effect on society as communist ideas were put in place whereas at the Tiananman Square massacre nothing was achieved only lives were lost.

Conclusion

The commitment and sheer determination that enabled the remaining troops to survive the Long March helped the Chinese Communists establish themselves as the future leaders of China. Mao Tse- tung's strategic genius helped establish the Chinese Communist Party as indestructible. Because of his guerrilla warfare tactics during the campaigns and his ability to know what the Kuomintang and Chiang Kai-shek were going to do, he brought a sense of mystery and power to his Party. From comparing the Long March against other events in the Twentieth Century such as the 1911 Revolution and the Tiananmen Square massacre I can see that the Long March had the greatest impact on Chinese history. Had the Long March never occurred, it is quite possible that China would be today under Japanese rule.