Introduction

One of the most extensive revolutions in history has been taking place in China. Like all great political and social upheavals, it has involved both the emergence of powerful new forces and the collapse of an old order, and it has gone through several distinctive stages. Throughout the modern period, China has been engaged in an intense and painful revolutionary process. The Nationalists continued to develop their political movement, however, and by the 1920’s they had become the primary focus of hope for those who yearned for national reunification, political modernization, and economic development. The prolonged Sino-Japanese conflict, which lasted altogether for eight years, had a shattering effect upon China. By contrast, the Sino-Japanese conflict presented the Chinese Communists with unprecedented opportunities to increase their revolutionary strength, and they exploited the wartime situation to the full to enhance their power and influence.