ABSTRACT
It would take many volumes to cover in detail the 1937-45 Sino-Japanese conflict, so at best this chapter can only outline some of the most basic military and diplomatic factors.445 This war was really three conflicts in one.446 The first phase was an anti-imperialist war, as the Nationalists temporarily ended their repression of the Chinese Communists in order to unite in opposition to Japan. The second phase was a civil war, as the 1941 entry of the U.S. into World War II allowed the Nationalists to turn their attention once again to opposing the CCP. Finally, the third phase was similar to earlier examples of barbarian management, as the Nationalists manipulated their diplomatic policies with the U.S.A., and later the USSR, to defeat Japan. In the aftermath of this victory, the Nationalist-Communist civil war erupted anew over control of the resource-rich Manchuria.
