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The Long March was one of the most significant events in modern Chinese History, and is famous as succesful escape for the beleaguered Communists under Mao from their original bases in the south of China to a remote hideout in the north-east. However as this account of the march makes clear, things weren’t as simple as that.
We start with a look at the events that led to split between the Chinese Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek and the Chinese Communists. After a series of failed attempts to defeat the Communists, in 1933 Chiang finally came up with a succesful plan, building a ring of fortifications around the Communist strongholds and slowly squeezing them towards defeat. The Long March began in the following year as a desperate attempt to escape from Chiang’s trap, and began with no clear destination in mind, and with a split high command. At the start of the march Mao was not in charge, but as time went he was able to gain influence, and perhaps its most significant result was that by the end of it Mao’s authority was firmly established and soon after it ended he became leader of the Communist Party, a position he led for the rest of his life.
On a military level the Long March was a heavy defeat for the Communists. Losses were very heavy, with over 90% of the people who began the march lost on the way. However in the aftermath Chiang failed to take advantage of this, and the Communists were able to rebuild in their base in Shaanxi. Admitedly the Japanese invasion of China played a major role in that, making it almost impossible for Chiang to deal with the Communists as well, and they were soon at least officially allies in the battle against the Japanese. This is rather ironic, as one of the justifications used by the Japanese for their invasion was the battle against Communism but it was their actions that allowed Mao to build strength and eventually take over China.
This is a good account of the military aspects of the Long March, which was a mix of set piece battles and a long running fight. It covers all of the different ‘Long Marches’ – several different Soviets made their own separate way north, each fighting different battles on the way. We also get good sections on the political meetings that took place along the way, which played a major part in the rise of Mao.
Chapters
Origins of the Campaign
Chronology
Opposing Commanders
Opposing Forces
The Campaign
Aftermath
Author: Benjamin Lai
Edition: Paperback
Pages: 96
Publisher: Osprey
Year: 2019