Nationalists and Communists in China
Chiang Kai-shek and
Mao Zedong standing
side by side during their
alliance.
In the mid-19th century of China, two large powers were rising. The Nationalists led by Sun Yat-sen then Chiang Kai-shek were the main power in China after the fall of the Qing dynasty. The Communists led by Mao Zedong known as the PLA(People's Liberation Army) or the Chinese Communist Party also came to China to take power. The Nationalist and Communist powers joined in an alliance to get rid of the warlords who were still controlling parts of China and the imperialists. In the Shanghai Massacre in 1927, Chiang Kai-shek massacred the Communists and any survivors went into hiding throughout the country. Mao Zedong led the Communist army from southeast China to northwest China on a 6,000 mile trek to the last Communist base. The Nationalists and Communists fought for power in China through the Shanghai Massacre, the Long March, and the Cold War.