國共合作與分裂 (1924-1937)

Co-operation and Separation between KMT and CPC

Hello everyone! Get ready to dive into one of the most exciting and important stories in modern Chinese history. We're going to learn about the relationship between two major political parties: the Kuomintang (KMT - 國民黨) and the Communist Party of China (CPC - 共產黨).

Think of them as two very different, powerful rivals who sometimes had to team up to face a bigger problem, but at other times were bitter enemies. Their story of co-operation and separation shaped China into what it is today. Don't worry if it seems complicated, we'll break it down step-by-step!


Part 1: The First United Front - Teaming Up! (第一次國共合作, 1924-1927)

Why did they suddenly become friends?

In the early 1920s, China was in a messy state. It was broken into many pieces, each controlled by a powerful military leader called a warlord (軍閥). The central government had very little power.

Analogy Time: Imagine your school playground has been taken over by different groups of bullies. Each group controls a different corner (the slides, the swings, etc.), and they're always fighting. It's impossible for anyone to play properly or for the school to be organised. The warlords were like these bullies, carving up China for themselves.

Both the KMT and the CPC wanted to solve this problem and create a single, unified China. But they couldn't do it alone.

  • The KMT, led by Sun Yat-sen (孫中山), had the big idea of unifying the country but needed more strength and resources.
  • The CPC was a very new and small party. They needed to grow and spread their ideas.

The Plan: "Ally with the Soviets, Admit the Communists" (聯俄容共)

The Soviet Union (a powerful communist country at the time) stepped in and played matchmaker. They suggested a plan with a catchy name: "聯俄容共" (lián É róng Gòng).

This meant:

  1. The KMT would become allies with the Soviet Union to get financial and military assistance.
  2. The KMT agreed to allow CPC members to join the KMT in their individual capacities (個人身分加入).
Common Mistake Alert!

This was NOT a party merger! The two organisations remained distinct. CPC members joined the KMT openly with Sun Yat-sen's approval while maintaining their CPC membership. It was an official alliance designed to achieve a common national goal.

Building a Modern Military: Whampoa Military Academy (黃埔軍校)

To defeat the warlords, the alliance needed a strong, well-trained army. In 1924, with Soviet funding and military advisers, the KMT set up the Whampoa Military Academy (黃埔軍校) in Guangzhou, with Chiang Kai-shek as its commandant and prominent CPC members (such as Zhou Enlai) holding key roles. This academy trained the core officers who would soon lead the national revolutionary army.

The Big Goal: The Northern Expedition (北伐)

With their newfound partnership and newly trained army, they launched a massive military campaign in 1926 called the Northern Expedition (北伐). The goal was simple: march north from their base in Guangzhou, defeat the warlords one by one, and unify China under one government.

The expedition was a huge success at first, thanks to their combined strength!

Key Takeaway

The KMT and CPC formed the First United Front under the "聯俄容共" policy, established the Whampoa Military Academy, and launched the Northern Expedition to defeat the warlords and unify China.


Part 2: The Split - From Friends to Enemies (國共分裂, 1927)

What went wrong?

Sadly, the friendship didn't last. After Sun Yat-sen died in 1925, a new leader, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), rose to power in the KMT. Chiang became very suspicious of the Communists. He worried they were using the alliance to become too powerful and might try to take over the KMT from the inside.

The "Party Purification" (清黨)

In April 1927, while the Northern Expedition was still going on, Chiang Kai-shek decided to act. He launched a sudden and violent crackdown on the Communists in Shanghai and other cities. Thousands of CPC members, trade union leaders, and suspected sympathisers were arrested and executed. This brutal event is known as the "Party Purification" (清黨) or the Shanghai Massacre.

This event completely shattered the alliance. The First United Front was over, and the KMT and CPC were now bitter enemies.

Why did they split? (Causes)

  • Different Ideologies: They had fundamentally different beliefs about how to rule China.
  • Power Struggle: Both sides wanted to be the ultimate leader of the country.
  • Chiang's Fear: Chiang Kai-shek feared the CPC's growing influence.
Key Takeaway

Fearing the CPC's growing power, KMT leader Chiang Kai-shek launched the "Party Purification" (清黨) in 1927, killing many Communists and ending the First United Front. This started a long civil war.


Part 3: Civil War - A Decade of Fighting (1927-1937)

The KMT's "Encirclement Campaigns" (圍剿)

After the split, the KMT established itself as the official government of China. Their top priority was to completely destroy the CPC. They launched five huge military campaigns, known as the Encirclement Campaigns (圍剿), to surround and wipe out the CPC's rural bases.

The CPC's "Long March" (長征) and the Zunyi Conference (遵義會議)

By 1934, facing the fifth encirclement campaign, the CPC was on the verge of being defeated. To survive, they made a desperate decision: to abandon their base in Jiangxi and embark on a massive strategic retreat. This epic journey became known as the Long March (長征).

For over a year, the CPC army marched thousands of kilometres over treacherous mountains and rivers, all while being chased by KMT forces. The conditions were horrific, and the vast majority of soldiers died along the way.

During the march, a crucial turning point occurred in January 1935 at the Zunyi Conference (遵義會議). The party corrected its previous military errors and established Mao Zedong (毛澤東) as the core leader of the CPC and its military.

Did you know? The Long March was not just one straight line. It was a winding, looping journey of about 9,000 km to escape the enemy, eventually ending safely in Yan'an, Shaanxi province!

Key Takeaway

The KMT tried to destroy the CPC with "Encirclement Campaigns" (圍剿). To escape, the CPC undertook the Long March (長征). During this journey, the Zunyi Conference (遵義會議) established Mao Zedong's leadership.


Part 4: The Second United Front - Teaming Up AGAIN! (西安事變, 1936)

A Bigger Problem Appears: Japan

While the KMT and CPC were busy fighting each other, a new and much more dangerous threat emerged: Imperial Japan. Japan had already invaded Northeast China in 1931 and was becoming more and more aggressive.

Many Chinese people, including some of Chiang Kai-shek's own generals, felt it was foolish to keep fighting a civil war when the whole country was threatened by a foreign invader. The slogan became "Stop the civil war, unite to fight Japan!"

The Xi'an Incident (西安事變)

This is where the story takes a dramatic turn! In December 1936, Chiang Kai-shek flew to the city of Xi'an to order his two generals, Zhang Xueliang (張學良) and Yang Hucheng (楊虎城), to intensify their attacks on the Communists.

But Zhang and Yang had other ideas. They believed fighting Japan was more important. So, they did something unbelievable: they kidnapped their own commander-in-chief, Chiang Kai-shek!

Step-by-step: The Xi'an Incident
  1. Chiang Kai-shek wants to fight the CPC.
  2. His generals, Zhang and Yang, want to fight Japan.
  3. Chiang goes to Xi'an to give orders.
  4. The generals capture him!
  5. They force him to negotiate and agree to stop the civil war.
  6. Chiang finally agrees to form a new united front with the CPC to resist the Japanese invasion.

This shocking event forced the KMT and CPC to put their differences aside once more and form the Second United Front (第二次國共合作). The civil war was paused, and China turned to face its external enemy, Japan.

Key Takeaway

The Xi'an Incident, where Chiang Kai-shek was detained by his own generals, forced the KMT and CPC to end their civil war and form the Second United Front to fight against the Japanese invasion.


Part 5: Hong Kong in the 1920s - Feeling the Effects

How was Hong Kong involved?

What happens in the Mainland doesn't stay in the Mainland! During the First United Front in the 1920s, nationalist feelings were running high across China. In May 1925, the May 30th Massacre (五卅慘案) occurred in Shanghai when British-led police fired on Chinese protesters, triggering nationwide anti-imperialist anger (the May 30th Movement / 五卅運動).

This sentiment directly triggered the massive Canton-Hong Kong Strike (省港大罷工) from 1925 to 1926. Tens of thousands of Chinese workers in British-controlled Hong Kong left their jobs and returned to Guangzhou, the revolutionary base of the KMT-CPC alliance.

This strike, supported jointly by the KMT and CPC, crippled Hong Kong's economy for over a year and vividly demonstrated how closely Hong Kong was tied to political movements in Mainland China.

Key Takeaway

Triggered by the May 30th Movement, the Canton-Hong Kong Strike demonstrated the powerful influence of Chinese nationalism and showed the inseparable connection between Hong Kong and the mainland.