The Chinese Civil War Background guide for Communist delegates Chairs: Alex Homer, Andrew Lee Wheeler Model United Nations Conference (WMUNC) October 2016
Committee - Chinese Communist Party Introduction The Chinese Civil War Committee is a dual crisis orchestrated to simulate the two factions of the Chinese Civil War of 1927-50. The two committees, Nationalist and Communist, meet separately and take action against one another via a process of decrees and directives. Each committee will strategize and form policies to defeat the other, while also responding to outside threats such as invasion by Japan. In the end the policies of each committee will affect the fate of both, and determine which force and what policies govern China through the end of the twentieth century. Format The default mode of debate for this committee will be a moderated caucus. There will be no speaker s list. Delegates may motion to introduce a new moderated caucus over the default debate with topic, total time, and individual speaking time. Delegates may also motion for an unmoderated caucus in order to discuss draft directives. Documents produced by this committee take the form of directives, short statements of policy that take the same form as a normal UN Resolution, with a few stipulations. Directives must contain three or more pre-ambulatory clauses, and operative clauses must include at least one statement of policy, rather than merely a set of opinions to be adopted by the committee. For example, a directive may include several opinion operative clauses, e.g. [The Communist Party] 1. Affirms the right of all Communists to freedom from oppressive landlords, 2. Condemns the atrocities committed by the Nationalist oppressor, but must also include at least one action operative clause 3. Designates the act of harboring Nationalist soldiers a crime punishable by death. Background In nineteenth-century China, the Qing Dynasty, which had ruled sovereign over the nation since 1644, suffered from the impacts of colonial expansion. Great Britain, seeking to create avenues of trade to expand its power, covertly sold opium into China through the 1700s. By 1820, rising levels of addiction threatened societal ruin, and in 1839, an escalating series of conflicts between the two nations mushroomed into the First Opium War. Following a disastrous loss, the Qing government was impelled to open its ports, and to cede Hong Kong to British rule. The Second Opium war of the mid 1850 s saw the French Government joining the British in an attempt to gain even more mercantilist leverage, and by 1860, another loss prompted further concessions by the Chinese. By the end of the nineteenth century, China s centuries-old empire had been reduced 1 to a crumbling shell of its former self. In 1911, growing discontent with the Qing Dynasty, and its weakness to the foreign powers of Britain, France, and Japan, came to a climax as a coalition of reformist political groups, the 1 "Opium Wars". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 23 Aug. 2016
Revolutionary Alliance, won the allegiance of China s many provinces. Together, a council of regional representatives named Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, the leader of the Revolutionary Alliance, the 2 provisional president of the newborn Republic of China. But China s unified Republic was short-lived. As China s Qing government faded, regional warlords seized swathes of land, enforcing their rule without recognition to the new Republic. And a growing political divide became evident between the Kuomintang, the Democratic-Nationalist party of Sun Yat-sen, and the growing Chinese Communist Party. Following Sun Yat-Sen s death in 1925, he was succeeded by Chiang Kai-shek, an authoritarian who sought to consolidate power in China. Chiang s right-wing policies antagonized the Chinese Communist Party, creating increasing political tension in the young republic. In 1927, Chiang and other leaders of the KMT took action to purge Communists from the Chinese government. They arrested and executed hundreds of CPC members in the infamous Shanghai Massacre of 1927. In response, Communists across several cities in China unsuccessfully took to arms. Among them emerged the charismatic Mao Zedong, a young revolutionary with dreams of leading a unified 3 Communist China. 2 Office of the Historian. "The Chinese Revolution of 1911." Milestones: 1899 1913. U.S. State Department, n.d. Web. 23 Aug. 2016. 3 "Chinese Civil War." - New World Encyclopedia. New World Encyclopedia, n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2016.
4 Fig 1.1: A Chinese Communist is beheaded by a Nationalist during the Shanghai Massacre of 1927 Mao and the remaining CPC supporters retreated south, forming the Soviet Republic of China. In the period of 1927-1934 the KMT government launched a series of encirclement campaigns. Although the first four attempts managed to penetrate the communist encampments, but lost their foothold in the face of guerilla tactics. However, on the fifth attempt, Chiang s fortifications prevailed, trapping the worn Communist army. The Red Army was quickly 5 decimated. In the face of overwhelming odds, the Communists broke past the fortifications at the weakest points in a final gambit to survive with the majority of their army and personnel intact. Over a span of months, the Communists braved starvation, and constant attack, in the so-called 6 Long March, in search of a new home. However, with the collapse of the Soviet Republic of China, there is doubt as to how, if ever, the Communists will regain their power in China. As this committee begins, Mao Zedong has assembled a committee of the most influential minds among his followers to shape policy for Soviet China in the coming months, years, and decades. Roles (note: for the purposes of this committee, the structure of the Communist Politburo has been modified. Rather than the Chinese system of ordered positions, each delegate has been assigned a Western-style Minister of portfolio. The chairs of the committee have made efforts to make roles as historically accurate as possible, but the timeline has been modified slightly to accommodate historical characters. Delegates are expected to assess the problems in the context of their specialty rather than holding to the exact personal attributes of their character.) Xiang Ying, Minister of Domestic Affairs Zhou Enlai, Minister of Foreign Affairs Xiang Zhongfa, Minister of Industry Qu Qiubai, Minister of Propaganda Cai Hesen, Minister of Education Zhang Guotao, Minister of Commerce Li Lisan, Minister of Labor Peng Pai, Minister of Agriculture Yang Yin, Minister of Transportation Zhu De, Minister of War Liu Shaoqi, Minister of Culture Ren Bishi, Minister of Communication 4 Public Beheading of a Communist during Shanghai Massacre of 1927. Digital image. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Apr. 2015. Web. 8 Oct. 2016. 5 History.com Staff. "Long March." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 08 Oct. 2016. 6 "Long March." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2016.
Essential Questions To Consider 1 - Military Strategy In the face of such a formidable foe, which strategies should we employ in our military engagements? Should we pursue conventional warfare or guerrilla tactics? Should we strike solely military and government targets, infrastructure, civilian centers, or some combination of the three? Detail what your approach would be to most effectively battle Chiang Kai-shek s forces and make sure to include specific policies and historical support for your chosen strategy. 2 - Domestic Policy Killing Nationalists is all well and good, but our troops have to eat as well. How would you secure resource to sustain our army throughout the conflict. Make sure to consider our relations with the local Chinese population - angering them could have severe consequences. Furthermore, how would you maintain the morale of our troops and replace our losses in the field? How will we obtain new arms and equipment, and what type of materials should we acquire? 3 - Foreign Allies Many other countries have have a stake in the fate of China. Whether it is Imperial Japan or the USSR, we may be able to call on powerful allies in our fight against the Nationalists. However, it is rare that we will receive help if we do not give something in return. Is involving foreign countries worth the interference and lessened autonomy we may experience in the future? Or, are building strong relationships with superpowers necessary for our budding nation? Be sure to detail which countries you would approach and what you would offer, if anything.
Works Cited "Opium Wars". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 23 Aug. 2016 Office of the Historian. "The Chinese Revolution of 1911." Milestones: 1899 1913. U.S. State Department, n.d. Web. 23 Aug. 2016. "Chinese Civil War." - New World Encyclopedia. New World Encyclopedia, n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2016. Public Beheading of a Communist during Shanghai Massacre of 1927. Digital image. Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Apr. 2015. Web. 8 Oct. 2016. History.com Staff. "Long March." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 08 Oct. 2016. "Long March." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2016.