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 ====__Students are to complete a short research report (500 words) describing the Long March with specific refer to key dates, individuals and significant events. This description will form the basis of your understanding of the social and political consequences of the Long March in China's quest for stability and unification. __ ====

The Long March can be considered to be a major turning point for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in their quest of achieving China’s stability and unification as, even though it resulted in loss of many, the March assisted the CCP to capture the hearts and minds of its citizens. The Long March was planned by the CCP, in mid 1934, subsequent to the constant assaults and “block house strategy” that was launched by the leaders of the Guomindang (GMD) party, Chaing Kai-shek and General Hans von Seeckt. The commencement of the Long March enclosed many changes for both, the CCP and the GMD, where the CCP had the change in the leadership as Mao Zedong was forced to relinquish his control of the Red Army to Otto Braun and the GMD adapted the new tactics suggested to them by German military leaders.

The Long March was initiated on October 16th 1934. As directed by Otto Braun, each individual involved in the Long March carried an object whether it be a piece of artillery or printing material. The Red Army was divided into divisions headed by Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, Lin Bao and other military leaders. The Long March was a great struggle for the CCP members as they were not only faced the battle against the GMD; they also had the challenge of fighting warlords and the harsh environment. After many unsuccessful attempts, it was then decided at the “Zunyi Conference” that the strategies adapted by Otto Braun were unsuccessful and thus Mao Zedong was named the commander of the CCP on 18 January 1935. Mao Zedong’s control resulted in the introduction of new strategies; however the CCP still faced struggles demonstrated throughout April-May 1935, when the CCP were crossing of the Luding Bridge and the “Great Snowy” Mountain.

After 368 days and loss of more than half of their troops at 10,000 men, the Long March came to an end on December 1935. After the Long March, Mao Zedong carefully described it as “.... a victory in its significance as a manifesto, a propaganda force, and a seeding machine for spreading the news of communism across China.” Through Mao Zedong’s perspective and his description, it can be considered that the Long March was very successful, however when considering the loss of more than half of the CCP troops and also the loss of most of their territory, the Long March would be argued by some to be unsuccessful, to an extent. An historian who perhaps has considered this perspective is J. Spence, when he stated “...the Communist party had now lost virtually its entire structure of southern and eastern bases.”

The Long March had created both social and political consequences in the Chinese society. The social consequences can be identified through the recognition the CCP received in the society and also the appreciation and admiration that many peasants had towards military leaders such as Mao Zedong and Zhu De. This recognition assisted many to accept communism and thus impacting the society by creating a shift towards communism. There were also political consequences of the Long March where the CCP faced some great political losses and also some political gains. The political losses can be identified through their loss of territory and leaders and the gain is demonstrated through the support they received from alliances they had formed.

Therefore it can be viewed that Long March was one of the most notable event for the CCP as it significantly assisted them to achieve their goal of China’s stability and unification.