The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), with armed conflict continuing intermittently from 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949, resulting in a CCP victory and control of mainland China in the Chinese Communist Revolution.

The following is a chronological timeline of the history of the Chinese Civil War (1912–1949):

Background (pre 1927)

Date Event KeyFigures Notes 19241927 First United Front Sun Yat-sen

Chiang Kai-shek Formed in 1924 as an alliance of the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to end warlordism in China. Together they formed the National Revolutionary Army and set out in 1926 on the Northern Expedition.

First phase: Communist insurgency (1927–1937)

From August 1927 to 1937, the First United Front collapsed during the Northern Expedition, and the Nationalists controlled most of China.

Date Event KeyFigures Notes 12April1927 Shanghai massacre The violent suppression of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organizations and leftist elements in Shanghai by forces supporting General Chiang Kai-shek and conservative factions in the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party or KMT). 24December19377 April1947 Second United Front Chiang Kai-shek Mao ZedongAn alliance between the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to resist the Japanese invasion of China during the Second Sino-Japanese War, which suspended the Chinese Civil War from 1937 to 1945.

Interlude: Second Sino-Japanese War period (1937–1945)

From 1937 to 1945, hostilities were mostly put on hold as the Second United Front fought the Japanese invasion of China with eventual help from the Allies of World War II, although co-operation between the KMT and CCP during this time was minimal and armed clashes between the groups were common. Events below are related to the Chinese Civil War during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945).

Date Event KeyFigures Notes January1941 New Fourth Army incident

Second phase: resumption of civil war (1945–1949)

The CCP gained control of mainland China and proclaimed the People's Republic of China in 1949, forcing the leadership of the Republic of China to retreat to the island of Taiwan.

Date Event KeyFigures Notes 14August1945 Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance A treaty signed by the National Government of the Republic of China and the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on 14 August 1945.

See also Outline of the military history of the People's Republic of China Outline of the Chinese Civil War Chinese Civil War order of battle List of wars involving the People's Republic of China List of Chinese wars and battles List of wars involving the Republic of China List of wars involving Taiwan Bibliography of works by Mao Zedong

References Bibliography

Bernstein, R. (2015). China 1945: Mao's revolution and America's fateful choice. Vintage. Fairbank, J. K., & Goldman, M. (2006). China: A new history (2nd ed.). Harvard University Press. Fenby, J. (2009). Modern China: The fall and rise of a great power, 1850 to the present. Harper Perennial. Fenby, J. (2014). Chiang Kai Shek: China's generalissimo and the nation he lost. Carroll & Graf. Gillin, D. (2011). The Last Imperial War: Warlords, Revolutionaries, and the Making of Modern China, 1927–1950. Bloomsbury Academic. Griffith, S. G. (2013). Chinese Civil War and the Korean War: Military Strategy and Tactics. Taylor & Francis. Hsiung, J. C., & Levine, S. I. (Eds.). (1992). China's Bitter Victory: The War with Japan, 1937–1945. M.E. Sharpe. Lawrance, A. (2017). The Chinese Civil War 1945–49. Bloomsbury Academic. Lynch, M. (2010). The Chinese Civil War, 1945–49. Osprey Publishing. Mao, Z., & Schram, S. (1966). Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung. Little Red Book. Meisner, M. (1999). Mao's China and after: A history of the People's Republic. Free Press. Mitter, R. (2013). China's war with Japan, 1937-1945: The struggle for survival. Harvard University Press. Schaller, M. (1989). The US Crusade in China, 1938–1945. Columbia University Press. Schram, S. R. (1966). Mao Tse-tung. Simon and Schuster. Spence, J. D. (1991). The search for modern China. W.W. Norton & Company. Tuchman, B. W. (2014). Stilwell and the American experience in China, 1911–45. Random House. Van de Ven, H. (2017). The Chinese Civil War: A military history. Cambridge University Press. Van de Ven, H. (2003). War and nationalism in China, 1925–1945. Routledge. Westad, O. A. (2003). The Chinese Civil War: 1945–1949. Basic Books. Zarrow, P. (2005). China in war and revolution, 1895–1949. Routledge.

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