SOAS Research Online

Abstract

During the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) established behind the Japanese lines four bases in north China which eventually became the main source of strength for the Communist victory over the KMT in 1949. In these bases the party played the leading role in uniting all anti-Japanese forces, and bringing the army under control, while good coordination was also maintained between the party headquarters in Yenan and the sub-bureaux behind the Japanese lines. The thesis shows that up to 1940 was a period of expansion, when the Communists succeeded in extending their control into the village, putting tenants and poor peasants in key positions to counteract the influence of the landlords. Mass mobilization programmes were also successful. In 1941-1942, the bases suffered a recession, however, as a result of tremendous Japanese military and economic pressure. In face of this threat, the CCP adopted a policy of retrenchment. With the launching of the Rectification Campaign in February 1942, the Communist position in the bases was strengthened, and reform programmes made the party better equipped to reassert its leadership. Mass mobilization was emphasized and the village became the base for the launching of important campaigns like those for the reduction of rent and interest, which succeeded by 1943 in arousing peasant political consciousness and effecting tremendous expansion in the organization of the people's armed forces of various descriptions, and the production teams. Japanese setbacks in the Pacific contributed further to Communist expansion, and by 1945, the CCP had become the dominant power in rural north China.