Twentieth Century Wars – Chinese Civil War

IB History
Wheel of Knowledge

Use this Wheel of Knowledge to check your understanding of the Chinese Civil War to make sure that you know in
which areas you are strong, and which areas need revision or improvement.

Shade the wheel either green, orange or red using the key below:
Green: I can definitely do this. I understand everything. I don't need to worry about this!
Orange: Hmmm. I can do this, but I maybe I need to check back in my book/notes to be sure. Maybe I have forgotten
something?
Red: What? We studied this? Really? Was I absent?! I need to find out what I’m missing, copy up missed work, and
talk to my teacher about this.

I can discuss I can explain how this

the failure of time period led to
Yuan Shikai growing support for
I can explain how European the GMD and CCP
imperialism exposed the
weakness of the Qing dynasty I can explain the goals and successes of
and contributed to the 1912 the First United Front and Northern
Revolution Expedition
I can explain internal
factors: land shortages, I can describe the impact
unemployment, famines, I can describe of the White terror,
corruption, urban and I can describe how 1927, in starting the first
civil unrest the impact of regionalism stage of the Civil War
regionalism 1916-28,
I can describe and foreign increased calls I can describe the
factors that imperialism for unity May Fourth I can describe Sun
I can assess the contributed to Movement and Yat San’s ideology:
impact of rural the collapse of how it increased (Three Guiding
support, social Qing dynasty calls for unity principles) and his
Short-term relationship with
policies and Long-term causes of CCP
propaganda on the causes of war I can describe
I can analyze war
CCP’s victory the ideology of
factors that I can describe how
contributed to the GMD Jiang Jieshi’s goal for
the CCP’s democracy, and
victory Impact of Impact of modernization led to
Chinese Civil relationships with
war Ideology &
War I can describe businessmen, elite,
I can describe how the I can analyze the war
the ideology of western nations and
impact of the Sino- factors that
the CCP even gangsters –
Japanese war, the contributed to
hurting his support
treatment of conscripts the GMDs
and the relationship defeat Impact of Type of I can describe
with the USA foreign warfare “Maoism”, and the
undermined the GMDs powers
popularity I can describe significance of the
I can analyze the why the CCP peasantry, land
impact of the USA used guerilla redistribution and
and USSR warfare before propaganda in gaining
I can describe
I can describe the I can assess the 1945 support for CCP
the technology
Comintern and impact of the
and tactics of
Stalin’s role in the Sino-Japanese I can describe why CCP
the GMD
CCP during the first War mobile tactics, ambushes,
and second civil war raids and retreats were
successful against the
I can describe USA Japanese and GMD
support for the GMD: I can describe the
money, aid & attempts I can describe the GMDs military I can describe the
to brokerage peace, impact of the Sino- advantage during the strategies &
1947 Japanese War on the encirclement impact of Lin Biao
GMD, 1931-1945 and campaign and and the Red Army
the significance of the second phase of
Second United Front CCW

*Impact of war will be included in the Mao Wheel of Knowledge

Example Paper 2 Questions:

1 Evaluate the importance of social inequalities in causing the Chinese Civil War.
2 To what extent was ideological difference the main reason for the outbreak of the Chinese Civil War?
3 Analyse the causes of the Chinese Civil War.
4 How significant was the Second Sino-Japanese War in causing the civil war in China?
5 Examine the impact of foreign intervention on the outcome of the Chinese Civil War.
6 How significant was military strategy in explaining the outcome of the Chinese Civil War?
7 Why were the Communists more successful than the Nationalists in the Chinese Civil War?
8 To what extent was the outcome of the Chinese Civil War determined by the ability to gain popular
support?
9 Analyse the results of the Chinese Civil War.
10 How significant was the impact of the Chinese Civil War on women?
1. Discuss the reasons for the victory of one side in one 20th-century civil war.
You can divide this essay into the following headings:
 strengths/successes of the CCP, 1928–1949
 weakness/failures of the GMD, 1928–1949
 the impact of the Sino-Japanese War
 the impact of foreign intervention

2. Examine the role of foreign intervention in one 20th-century civil war.

For this essay, consider
 long-term European involvement
 the impact of Japan
 the impact of the Soviets
 the impact of America.

3. Discuss the long- and short-term causes of one 20th-century civil war.
4. Evaluate the impact of guerrilla tactics on the outcome of one 20th-century civil war.