110. The Chinese Civil Wars (Part 2)
In this episode we discuss the period between 1927 and 1949, in which the Kuomintang’s preoccupation with unifying China led to mishandling both internal and external threats, resulting in their loss of power. Gary Hallman returns as guest.
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Hello there. First of all, let me greet you for your work here. It’s always a pleasure to listen to your podcasts 🙂
Now, i have just two notes about this episode, that you can consider to be corrections.
FIrst of all, the lenght of the Long March. I agree with you about the propaganda made numbers of 12.000 km’s being nearly impossible and not the most historically accurate way to present the subject, given the source. However, the numbers you just put in here (about 3000 km’s) are also, too low and nearly impossible, given the extension of land they had to cover, the time and the source of the numbers itself. I mean, it’s equally inaccurate to use the CPC propaganda as to use some western academics that write some book with the claimed goal of dismount some myths. Naturally, the most accurate number is somewhere between those two figures.
Now, the other note is about the Japanese intentions towards the USSR, on the far east. You say that the Japanese simply weren’t interest on the USSR. It is just not true. The Japanese intended to invade the USSR and one must say the actually tried. There were a series of clashes since 1935, that ultimately led to the Battle of Khalkhin Gol (an engagement that lasted all the summer of 1939), in which the Japanese were defeated. It was only after this defeat that the Japanese state shifted their interest to the South and Pacific areas, realizing how outmatched they were by the Soviets.
Hey, sorry it took so long to reply! Thanks for writing this in. I agree on both points. I’m not sure where I got 3000 km from, but it’s well short of even conservative estimates. I’m planning on correcting this one in part three, but I appreciate people looking out for me!
As for the USSR/Japan point, you’re absolutely correct. I knew there had been border skirmishes, but in my focus on China and Japan I completely missed that they were offensive on the part of Manchukuo. This one I’ll add to the correction notes when I get them posted. Thanks again for pointing these out! It’s good to know that I have listeners out there keeping me a bit more accurate.