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Encircling the Chinese Soviet Republic

Encircling the Chinese Soviet Republic

Released Sunday, 10th December 2023
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Encircling the Chinese Soviet Republic

Encircling the Chinese Soviet Republic

Encircling the Chinese Soviet Republic

Encircling the Chinese Soviet Republic

Sunday, 10th December 2023
Good episode? Give it some love!
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Mao Zedong had been chosen as President of the Chinese Soviet Republic, but he never controlled its Red Army. Wang Ming and the 28 Bolsheviks had more control, including over land policy and preparations to defend against the Fifth Encirclement Campaign.


On land, the Communist Party of China officials didn't want land redistribution to result in a countryside of middle peasants holding private property. With the Land Investigation Movement, they wanted to root out any hidden landlords or rich peasants. But what they didn't change was the limited amount of land to divide among a huge rural population. The result was that basically everyone would farm at the subsistence level.


Chiang Kai-shek was preparing for the Fifth Encirclement Campaign against the Chinese Soviets. This time it would be Seven Parts Political and Three Parts Military. His wife and he advocated for the New Life Movement. The Chinese people should live according to the four virtues.


He also carefully prepared for the military campaign by supervising the construction of roads in Jiangxi and block houses. The Chinese Soviets would be blockaded and logistics and supplies improved.


Otto Braun, Comintern Representative and Communist military strategist, through out the previously successful strategy of Luring the Enemy In Deep and guerrilla warfare and copied the KMT's blockhouse strategy. This time, the Communists would defend the territory of the Chinese Soviet Republic and only commit to Short, Swift Thrusts. Soviet territory was stripped bare to commit the resources for the new blockhouses and supplies for the Red Army defences.

It was a disaster for the Red Army and for the Chinese Soviets. The armies were wiped out by conventional warfare against a numerically and economically superior opponent. Residents, especially "class enemies" began to defect to the KMT. Eventually, even soldiers and Communist officials defected too.


The Fifth Encirclement Campaign was a great success for the Nationalists. The Chinese Soviet Republic was defeated, and this time, the Chinese people supported the KMT. Mao Zedong would blame the defeat on the Communists on Wang Ming and the 28 Bolsheviks. Mao would further rise to power. But first, would come The Long March.


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Image: "Map of the Northeast Jiangxi Soviet" by SilverStar54 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Music by Slipstream


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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The Chinese Revolution

The history of 19th century and 20th century China, leading up to the Chinese Revolutions, the Republic of China and then the People's Republic of China.This podcast was inspired by Mike Duncan's Revolutions. This podcast follows him by telling the stories leading to the Chinese Revolutions.The episodes cover the Opium Wars, Taiping Rebellion, foreign treaties and concessions bringing trade and Christianity to China, the Boxer Rebellion, China's 1911 Revolution, the Warlord Period, the KMT and the rise of the Communist Party of China. The Chinese United Fronts are discussed. Personalities like the Empress Dowager Cixi, the Qing emperors, Earl Li Hongzhang, Kang Youwei Sun Yat-sen, Yuan Shikai, Wu Peifu, Chiang Kai-shek, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and Mao Zedong are featured. The experiences of Chinese working overseas, including in Australia, Canada, Malaysia, South Africa and the United States of America are also brought to life. We have looked at stories from the late Qing Dynasty. Now we are looking at the stories of the Republic of China, the Communist International (Comintern)'s interest in exporting world revolution to China and the United Fronts, including the Second Sino-Japanese War.For more information, sources and content see: https://chineserevolution.substack.comThe Chinese Revolution podcast has charted as a top history podcast in Australia, Canada, France, Ghana, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.The Chinese Revolution podcast has been listened to in over 95 countries. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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