The Sino-Japanese war: the Xi'an incident and the Second United Front;…

The idea

The 1936 Xi'an Incident, where Zhang Xueliang kidnapped Jiang Jieshi, forced the GMD to halt its anti-communist campaigns and form the Second United Front with the CCP against Japanese aggression. While this alliance provided initial political and military co-operation, such as the defence of Wuhan, deep divisions remained, culminating in clashes like the 1941 New Fourth Army Incident. The Sino-Japanese War devastated China's infrastructure and economy. For Jiang Jieshi and the GMD, the conflict eroded their power base, caused severe inflation, and exposed military corruption. Conversely, Mao and the CCP utilised guerrilla warfare to expand their territorial control and peasant support, emerging significantly strengthened by 1945.

What earns the marks

• Explain the causes and outcomes of the Xi'an Incident, specifically Zhang Xueliang's role in forcing Jiang Jieshi to prioritise fighting Japan over the CCP.
• Analyse the nature of the Second United Front, noting that it was a marriage of convenience characterised by mutual suspicion rather than genuine integration.
• Evaluate instances of military division, such as the New Fourth Army Incident of 1941, which demonstrated the fragility of GMD-CCP co-operation.
• Assess the differential impact of the war: the GMD suffered heavy conventional losses and economic ruin, while the CCP expanded its rural base through guerrilla tactics and land reform.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Claiming the Second United Front was a period of total peace between the GMD and CCP.

  Put it right: Emphasise that military clashes continued, most notably the New Fourth Army Incident in 1941.

• Stating that Jiang Jieshi willingly initiated the alliance with the CCP.

  Put it right: Explain that Jiang was forced into the agreement after being kidnapped during the Xi'an Incident.

• Assuming the war impacted both factions equally.

  Put it right: Contrast the GMD's loss of its urban power base and severe inflation with the CCP's successful rural expansion and ideological consolidation.

Exam tips

• Use the New Fourth Army Incident as concrete evidence to demonstrate the limits of political and military co-operation during the Second United Front.
• When evaluating the impact of the war on Jiang Jieshi, explicitly link military retreats to the subsequent economic crises, such as hyperinflation in GMD-controlled areas.
• Contrast the conventional warfare tactics of the GMD, which led to heavy casualties, with the CCP's guerrilla strategy that preserved their forces and won peasant support.