Page "Cold War (1947–1953)" Paragraph 27

Shortly after World War II, the civil war resumed in China between the Kuomintang ( KMT ) led by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and the Communist Party of China led by Mao Zedong.

The USSR had signed a Treaty of Friendship with the Kuomintang in 1945 and disavowed support for the Chinese Communists.

The outcome was closely fought, with the Communists finally prevailing with superior military tactics.

Although the Nationalists had an advantage in numbers of men and weapons, initially controlled a much larger territory and population than their adversaries, and enjoyed considerable international support, they were exhausted by the long war with Japan and the attendant internal responsibilities.

In addition, the Chinese Communists were able to fill the political vacuum left in Manchuria after Soviet forces withdrew from the area and thus gained China's prime industrial base.

The Chinese Communists were able to fight their way from the north and northeast, and virtually all of mainland China was taken by the end of 1949.

On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China ( PRC ).

Chiang Kai-shek and 600, 000 Nationalist troops and 2 million refugees, predominantly from the government and business community, fled from the mainland to the island of Taiwan.

In December 1949, Chiang proclaimed Taipei the temporary capital of the Republic of China ( ROC ) and continued to assert his government as the sole legitimate authority in China.