The Fifth Party Congress of the Communist Party (April 29 to May 9, 1927) decides that the united front is better without Chiang Kai-shek. Further … [Read more...] about Episode 50: The Fifth Party Congress and the ‘Better Fewer but Better’ Approach to Summing up a Massacre
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Episode 49: Rivers of Blood in the Streets of Shanghai: The Massacre of the Communists by the Guomindang Right
Chiang Kai-shek’s April 12, 1927 coup against the Communists. Further reading:Steve Smith, A Road Is Made: Communism in Shanghai, … [Read more...] about Episode 49: Rivers of Blood in the Streets of Shanghai: The Massacre of the Communists by the Guomindang Right
Episode 48: The Third Armed Uprising in Shanghai
On March 21-22, 1927, Shanghai fell to a combination of general strike, armed uprising, and the advance of the National Revolutionary Army. Further … [Read more...] about Episode 48: The Third Armed Uprising in Shanghai
Episode 47: The Split in the Guomindang: The Left Government in Wuhan and the Military Headquarters in Nanchang Develop Irreconcilable Differences (January to March 1927)
The question of what sort of revolution the Nationalist revolution will be creates a fundamental division within the Guomindang. Further reading:C. … [Read more...] about Episode 47: The Split in the Guomindang: The Left Government in Wuhan and the Military Headquarters in Nanchang Develop Irreconcilable Differences (January to March 1927)
Episode 46: Summation, Red Terror, and Frustration: The Aftermath of the Second Armed Uprising in Shanghai (February and March 1927)
Summations of the Second Uprising on several different levels; the continuing inability of the Shanghai Regional Committee of the Communist Party to … [Read more...] about Episode 46: Summation, Red Terror, and Frustration: The Aftermath of the Second Armed Uprising in Shanghai (February and March 1927)
Episode 45: The Second Armed Uprising in Shanghai (February 1927)
Where we continue to follow the insurrectionary journey of the Shanghai Communists. Further reading:Steve Smith, A Road Is Made: Communism in … [Read more...] about Episode 45: The Second Armed Uprising in Shanghai (February 1927)
Episode 44: From Dog-Beating Squads to the First Armed Uprising: The Shanghai Communists’ Steep Learning Curve in Developing Armed Struggle (1922 to 1926)
The bumpy road that the Communist Party took in Shanghai as it developed its capacity to deploy organized violence as a political tactic. Further … [Read more...] about Episode 44: From Dog-Beating Squads to the First Armed Uprising: The Shanghai Communists’ Steep Learning Curve in Developing Armed Struggle (1922 to 1926)
Episode 43: When Peasant Revolution Meets the Theory of the Productive Forces: The Communist Debate on Unity with the Nationalist Left
The tension between maintaining the united front and mobilizing the peasants for revolution finds expression in a crucial debate over strategy at the … [Read more...] about Episode 43: When Peasant Revolution Meets the Theory of the Productive Forces: The Communist Debate on Unity with the Nationalist Left
Episode 42: More Mass Movements, More Problems: The Aggressive Line of the Guangdong Comrades
Debate breaks out within the Communist Party and the Comintern over how to assess the balance of forces and relate to the developing revolutionary … [Read more...] about Episode 42: More Mass Movements, More Problems: The Aggressive Line of the Guangdong Comrades
Episode 41: Revolution in the Countryside: The Peasant Movement in Hunan in the Wake of the Northern Expedition
Mass upheaval in Hunan and elsewhere after people are liberated from warlord rule. Further reading:C. Martin Wilbur and Julie Lien-ying … [Read more...] about Episode 41: Revolution in the Countryside: The Peasant Movement in Hunan in the Wake of the Northern Expedition