A General History of Modern China, Volume Eight: Civil War and Crisis (1927–1937)

Using major events in Chinese history from 1927 to 1937 as its thread, this book recounts the efforts and attempts made by modern society during this exceptionally complex period. After nominally unifying China, the Nanjing Nationalist Government sought to implement tutelage, establish constitutional government, and strengthen the foundations of the military, national defense, education, and the economy. Meanwhile, under the guidance of the Communist International, the Chinese Communist Party pursued armed rural enclaves, founded the Soviet Republic, and struggled to build and expand the Red Army. Drawing on detailed, reliable historical sources, the manuscript traces the twists and turns of negotiations between the two governments on China's historical stage, the Nanjing Nationalist Government and the Chinese Soviet Government, and between the two parties, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. It also reconstructs the clear historical course of the parties' changing policies after the September 18 Incident, the formation of the Communist Party's united front, and the realization of Kuomintang-Communist cooperation.