Why did Mao win the Chinese Civil War
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Date: 2026-03-07
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Comments and reviews: 20
gingerbread_GB
There are a lot of historical facts, actions taken by people that you can list in a laundry list, but they don't give you insights to the root cause. As a Chinese person I want to talk about the fundamental difference between the Communists and Nationalists in the 1930s and 40s, keeping in mind that just 30 years prior, the Nationalists were the revolutionaries that took power from the Qing Dynasty. It basically comes down to this, the communists were idealists, but the nationalist party became realists. Chiang tolerated corruption and bargained with warlords in order to maintain power. He relied on the capitalists for money, but does not allow any sort of democratic process to provide check and balance, basically going against all the promises the nationalists made to the people.
The communists were able to rile up the peasants only because Chiang created the environment for them to do so. The communists on the other hand, were filled with idealists that were willing to give personal sacrifice in exchange for the greater good, that resonated with the poor, who barely had anything to lose anyway. So the conclusion should be that Mao did not win the Chinese Civil War. The Chinese people simply rejected the nationalist party. In fact, Mao was not known as a particularly shrewd military leader. He had the right generals that did the work for him. His guerilla tactics were more as a mean to survive, not takeover a country as large as China.
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There are a lot of historical facts, actions taken by people that you can list in a laundry list, but they don't give you insights to the root cause. As a Chinese person I want to talk about the fundamental difference between the Communists and Nationalists in the 1930s and 40s, keeping in mind that just 30 years prior, the Nationalists were the revolutionaries that took power from the Qing Dynasty. It basically comes down to this, the communists were idealists, but the nationalist party became realists. Chiang tolerated corruption and bargained with warlords in order to maintain power. He relied on the capitalists for money, but does not allow any sort of democratic process to provide check and balance, basically going against all the promises the nationalists made to the people.
The communists were able to rile up the peasants only because Chiang created the environment for them to do so. The communists on the other hand, were filled with idealists that were willing to give personal sacrifice in exchange for the greater good, that resonated with the poor, who barely had anything to lose anyway. So the conclusion should be that Mao did not win the Chinese Civil War. The Chinese people simply rejected the nationalist party. In fact, Mao was not known as a particularly shrewd military leader. He had the right generals that did the work for him. His guerilla tactics were more as a mean to survive, not takeover a country as large as China.
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camishonna
I doubt you ever read comments and am sure that you’re are usually met with overwhelming support, but I find both your writing style and delivery completely insufferable. The art style of your videos is devoid of life and you present history in the most flat uninteresting way which I find a shame bcuz you have many videos on topics that I am interested in. You aren’t the worst offender in terms of shitty low effort and lackluster educational content on this platform (real life lore is far more grating and actually lies in his videos when it fits his political stance) but it does annoy me that someone like you can become this big without any real talent or presentation skills, and thus plague the top of many search results for historical content with your fast paced monotone slop. I feel sorry for any child whose history teacher is lazy enough to play your content in class.
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I doubt you ever read comments and am sure that you’re are usually met with overwhelming support, but I find both your writing style and delivery completely insufferable. The art style of your videos is devoid of life and you present history in the most flat uninteresting way which I find a shame bcuz you have many videos on topics that I am interested in. You aren’t the worst offender in terms of shitty low effort and lackluster educational content on this platform (real life lore is far more grating and actually lies in his videos when it fits his political stance) but it does annoy me that someone like you can become this big without any real talent or presentation skills, and thus plague the top of many search results for historical content with your fast paced monotone slop. I feel sorry for any child whose history teacher is lazy enough to play your content in class.
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af8828
4: 50 claiming the A-bombs played any role in the Japanese surrender, or that they were necessary whatsoever, is completely ahistorical. The soviets had already crushed Japan into neogtiating a surrender. It was a war crime committed by the US or the sake of undermining the Soviets - who would have been seen as responsible for destroying both the German and Japanese fascists on two fronts (which is objectively what happened. Japan committed atrocities worse than Germany in WW2, yet the civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki still did not deserve to be nuked. America is both ideologically similar to Germany/ Japan in the 30s, and has committed genocides and created casualties orders of magnitude higher than both throughout its cursed history.
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4: 50 claiming the A-bombs played any role in the Japanese surrender, or that they were necessary whatsoever, is completely ahistorical. The soviets had already crushed Japan into neogtiating a surrender. It was a war crime committed by the US or the sake of undermining the Soviets - who would have been seen as responsible for destroying both the German and Japanese fascists on two fronts (which is objectively what happened. Japan committed atrocities worse than Germany in WW2, yet the civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki still did not deserve to be nuked. America is both ideologically similar to Germany/ Japan in the 30s, and has committed genocides and created casualties orders of magnitude higher than both throughout its cursed history.
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kaitai5900
Pretty simple. Mao and the Communists hid in the hills of northern China, only committing forces against IJA forces in minor hit and run skirmishes.
They were cowards as well as evil connivers who were saving their strength to defeat the Nationalists after Japan’s defeat by the US.
The Nationalists expended their resources and manpower in incompetent, but very very brave straight up modern combat against the IJA. Plus, the Nationalist leadership was corrupt.
Deng thanked the Japanese prime minister at the time of restarting diplomatic relations in the early 1970s, because it allowed the CCP to win the civil war. Facts.
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Pretty simple. Mao and the Communists hid in the hills of northern China, only committing forces against IJA forces in minor hit and run skirmishes.
They were cowards as well as evil connivers who were saving their strength to defeat the Nationalists after Japan’s defeat by the US.
The Nationalists expended their resources and manpower in incompetent, but very very brave straight up modern combat against the IJA. Plus, the Nationalist leadership was corrupt.
Deng thanked the Japanese prime minister at the time of restarting diplomatic relations in the early 1970s, because it allowed the CCP to win the civil war. Facts.
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timwong6818
It seems the video is not really about how Mao won the civil war but mostly an over simplified video about China for the first half of 20th century. Could be done in a better way instead of simplying into something sounds like the kmt gov collapsed overnight. This video does not even touch three major campaign that kmt lost and Mao won. Also did not touch why kmt screw up the economy so bad and its military command system barely works so it keeps losing war (luck maybe one thing, keep making bad decision is not luck, it is something really wrong about the system.
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It seems the video is not really about how Mao won the civil war but mostly an over simplified video about China for the first half of 20th century. Could be done in a better way instead of simplying into something sounds like the kmt gov collapsed overnight. This video does not even touch three major campaign that kmt lost and Mao won. Also did not touch why kmt screw up the economy so bad and its military command system barely works so it keeps losing war (luck maybe one thing, keep making bad decision is not luck, it is something really wrong about the system.
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koolaid0565
Chiang hired Yasuji Okamura, the man who implemented the Three Alls Policy (kill all, burn all, destroy all) as his military advisor. After his defeat, he put famous KMT generals under house arrest indefinitely (notably Sun Li-Jen and Zhang Xueliang) for fears of losing his grip on power. Some of you need to realize that even Taiwanese do not like Chiang. Stop glorifying him as some kind of chad. HOI4 is not real life.
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Chiang hired Yasuji Okamura, the man who implemented the Three Alls Policy (kill all, burn all, destroy all) as his military advisor. After his defeat, he put famous KMT generals under house arrest indefinitely (notably Sun Li-Jen and Zhang Xueliang) for fears of losing his grip on power. Some of you need to realize that even Taiwanese do not like Chiang. Stop glorifying him as some kind of chad. HOI4 is not real life.
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TealRubyy
Many factions in the KMT got either purged by Chiang during the civil war or decided to stay behind and merge with Mao's communist forces after. One of the factions that decided to stay on the Mainland was led by Sun Yat Sen's widow. In the eyes of the majority of Chinese at that time, the communist forces and Mao were the rightful successors to Sun's new China.
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Many factions in the KMT got either purged by Chiang during the civil war or decided to stay behind and merge with Mao's communist forces after. One of the factions that decided to stay on the Mainland was led by Sun Yat Sen's widow. In the eyes of the majority of Chinese at that time, the communist forces and Mao were the rightful successors to Sun's new China.
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nash5637
This video may not cover enough of the military side of things. Chiang Kai-shek’s government forces were made up of a very complicated mix, including the Central Army and various warlord factions. In order to preserve their own strength, they often schemed against each other instead of truly cooperating, which is why they lost many key battles.
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This video may not cover enough of the military side of things. Chiang Kai-shek’s government forces were made up of a very complicated mix, including the Central Army and various warlord factions. In order to preserve their own strength, they often schemed against each other instead of truly cooperating, which is why they lost many key battles.
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willylu88
For everyone's information, Taiwan doesn't teach this in their history book, their government like the Japanese denied every bad thing they have ever done to mainland China. Their reasoning of over thrown of the Nationalist government was because Mao stabbed them in the back while they were busy fighting Japanese, which is only partially true.
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For everyone's information, Taiwan doesn't teach this in their history book, their government like the Japanese denied every bad thing they have ever done to mainland China. Their reasoning of over thrown of the Nationalist government was because Mao stabbed them in the back while they were busy fighting Japanese, which is only partially true.
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colethomas1737
And Stalin provided boots to Mao for those who would follow him. Boots were a prize back then to peasants. So in the 3nd if Patton could have gotten the war with Stalin, which he would have easily and quickly won, the Mao would have failed and MILLIONS would not have died and been enslaved. History is such an important subject.
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And Stalin provided boots to Mao for those who would follow him. Boots were a prize back then to peasants. So in the 3nd if Patton could have gotten the war with Stalin, which he would have easily and quickly won, the Mao would have failed and MILLIONS would not have died and been enslaved. History is such an important subject.
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education
Typical arrogant ignorant western view of China. So much slander and prejudice that I don't know where to start argue. Just enjoy your fake fabricated illusion of China then. By the way, how are you enjoying fcked by ICE Learn some true history of how Mao and CCP defeat KMT and maybe you can get some good ideas about it.
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Typical arrogant ignorant western view of China. So much slander and prejudice that I don't know where to start argue. Just enjoy your fake fabricated illusion of China then. By the way, how are you enjoying fcked by ICE Learn some true history of how Mao and CCP defeat KMT and maybe you can get some good ideas about it.
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history_matters
A lot of people are talking about how incompetent and corrupted Chang is. However, none mentioned that Chang was fighting all 10 PRC Marshals at the sametime, and withstood for four years. While during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, it only took one Marshal to defeat the US troops in three years.
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A lot of people are talking about how incompetent and corrupted Chang is. However, none mentioned that Chang was fighting all 10 PRC Marshals at the sametime, and withstood for four years. While during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, it only took one Marshal to defeat the US troops in three years.
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education
Because these two political parties have different systems, with one party's ally being the Soviet Union and the other party's ally being the United States. As you know, the side supported by the United States has been beaten up. Whoever chooses the United States will definitely have a bad ending. Always like this.
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Because these two political parties have different systems, with one party's ally being the Soviet Union and the other party's ally being the United States. As you know, the side supported by the United States has been beaten up. Whoever chooses the United States will definitely have a bad ending. Always like this.
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mikeappleyard1898
So why exactly did Japan decide to attack Pearl Harbor It obviously wasn't just because they were bored. Yes that was a hilarious joke, but it conveniently brushed over the fact that Japan was under severe trade sanctions by the US and unable to procure oil for their military aggression in Asia.
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So why exactly did Japan decide to attack Pearl Harbor It obviously wasn't just because they were bored. Yes that was a hilarious joke, but it conveniently brushed over the fact that Japan was under severe trade sanctions by the US and unable to procure oil for their military aggression in Asia.
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jobomb2852
I imagine he won because it was better than losing. (Grammar is important, especially if you're just gonna shit out generic content. Should read as HOW did he win Since you're addressing the methodology and approach he took to win the war and not what his personal motivations were for winning)
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I imagine he won because it was better than losing. (Grammar is important, especially if you're just gonna shit out generic content. Should read as HOW did he win Since you're addressing the methodology and approach he took to win the war and not what his personal motivations were for winning)
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piaohei5984
Nationalist was very very corrupt at that time. What they do when they receiving occupied areas from Japanese should be called robber.
CPC did democratic reforms and farming land revolution, which means more social equity for peasant, who worked most and got least in the Chinese history.
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Nationalist was very very corrupt at that time. What they do when they receiving occupied areas from Japanese should be called robber.
CPC did democratic reforms and farming land revolution, which means more social equity for peasant, who worked most and got least in the Chinese history.
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LewisBX-i6b
It's too bad that t US government had given arms to the same CCP, and they were never used to fight Japan. After t war ended it was learned that Mao Tzedong was considered to be the 'Greatest asset' of Imperial Japan in all of Asia. No wonder he ran away when Chaing Kia Check found out.
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It's too bad that t US government had given arms to the same CCP, and they were never used to fight Japan. After t war ended it was learned that Mao Tzedong was considered to be the 'Greatest asset' of Imperial Japan in all of Asia. No wonder he ran away when Chaing Kia Check found out.
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lukaswilhelm9290
This video clearly show that Stalin was a politician first and then a communist second. He want a centralized communist world under him directly and always try to eliminate any other communist rival such as Mao in any given circumstances yet many communists still adores Stalin.
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This video clearly show that Stalin was a politician first and then a communist second. He want a centralized communist world under him directly and always try to eliminate any other communist rival such as Mao in any given circumstances yet many communists still adores Stalin.
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ygloves112
Its not complicated, in Chinese history lesson, the reason is very simple: people. whoever treat people not well will lose. Also, westerns have been saying China will collapse soon for decades, but its not even close to be true, because the people as well.
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Its not complicated, in Chinese history lesson, the reason is very simple: people. whoever treat people not well will lose. Also, westerns have been saying China will collapse soon for decades, but its not even close to be true, because the people as well.
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shaoshuai_on_film
There’s was also a period of time when some nationalist party faction leaders decided to join force with the Japanese (who was still invaders to China) to fight against the communist another reason why the people trusted communist more than the KMT
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There’s was also a period of time when some nationalist party faction leaders decided to join force with the Japanese (who was still invaders to China) to fight against the communist another reason why the people trusted communist more than the KMT
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