Turtledove
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Chinese Civil War
Timeline OTL
Date 1 August 1927 – 22 December 1936
31 March 1946 – 1 May 1950
Location China
Result Chinese Communist Victory
Belligerents
ChinaROCRepublic of China PRCflagChinese Communist Party

The Chinese Civil War was a civil war in China fought between forces loyal to the Kuomintang  (KMT)-led government of the Republic of China, and forces loyal to the Communist Party of China (CPC). The war began in August 1927, with Chiang Kai-Shek's Northern Expedition, and essentially ended when major active battles ceased in 1950. The conflict eventually resulted in two de facto states, the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in mainland China, both officially claiming to be the legitimate government of China.

Chinese Civil War in Joe Steele[]

The Chinese Civil War began again shortly after the Japanese were pushed out off China in the final years of World War II. Throughout the remainder of the 1940s, Mao Tse-Tung gained on Chiang Kai-Shek's forces,[1] until, in October 1949, just two months after the end of the Japanese War, Mao and his Reds pushed Chiang's forces off of the Chinese mainland.[2]

The U.S. had backed Chiang, and refused to recognize Mao. For a time, U.S. President Joe Steele had considered using atomic bombs to support Chiang, as they'd effectively ended the Japanese War. However, the Soviet ambassador to the U.S., Andrei Gromyko, suggested that any U.S. atomic attack in China might be met with a Soviet atomic attack in Europe.[3]

Literary comment[]

In the short story, there is a popular question in-universe whether Wernher von Braun, who apparently escaped from Germany, is going to intervene in the Chinese Civil War and sell his services to either side. Braun is not mentioned in the novel.

Chinese Civil War in The War That Came Early[]

The Chinese Civil War was interrupted by the invasion of China by Japan.

As the leader of China, Chiang Kai-Shek was supposed to be fighting the Japanese. However, many people (Communists especially) believed China's only real hope lay with Mao Tse-Tung.[4] Even the Japanese, while worried about Chiang's soldiers, were more worried about the guerrilla tactics of the Communists throughout the war.[5] Thus, the Civil War continued on indirectly.

Chinese Civil War in Worldwar[]

The Chinese Civil War was put on hold indefinitely with the arrival of the Race's Conquest Fleet in 1942. Chiang Kai-Shek found himself working uneasily with both Japan and the Chinese Communist Party against the Race. The popular front did not preserve China's independence; it was overrun effectively by the Race and acknowledged at the Peace of Cairo.[6] In the years that followed, the Communists proved far more adept at fighting the Race, and so Chiang and the KMT lost favor.

References[]

  1. Joe Steele, pg. 358.
  2. Ibid., pg. 376.
  3. Ibid, pg. 376-377.
  4. Hitler's War, pg. 450.
  5. See, e.g., Coup d'Etat, pg. 161, HC.
  6. See, In the Balance through Upsetting the Balance, generally.
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