Section II (National Study): China 1927-1949

A focused answer on the Chinese Civil War (1945-1949), the strategic balance at 1946, Lin Biao's Manchurian campaign, the three decisive campaigns (Liaoshen, Huaihai, Pingjin) of 1948-1949, the crossing of the Yangtze, and the reasons for KMT defeat. Covers inflation, corruption, US disengagement, land reform, and the historiography of Westad, Pepper, and Lloyd Eastman.

A focused answer on the founding of the PRC (1 October 1949), the CPPCC, the Common Programme, the new state structure, Mao's lean-to-one-side policy, the Sino-Soviet Treaty (February 1950), and international recognition. Covers consolidation and the historiography of Meisner, Spence, and Muehlhahn.

A focused answer on the Mukden Incident (18 September 1931), the Kwantung Army's seizure of Manchuria, the puppet state of Manchukuo, the Lytton Report, the failure of the League of Nations, and Chiang's policy of internal pacification before external resistance. Covers the impact on the CCP and the historiography of Akira Iriye, Rana Mitter, and Marius Jansen.

A focused answer on the Japanese surrender (August-September 1945), the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, the race for Japanese-held territory between KMT and CCP, the Chongqing Negotiations (October 1945), and the Marshall Mission (December 1945 to January 1947). Covers Yalta, the Sino-Soviet Treaty (August 1945), and the historiography of Westad and Pepper.

A focused answer on the Jiangxi Soviet (1929-1934), Mao's rural-base strategy, the 1930 Land Law, the Sixteen Character guerrilla formula, and the five KMT encirclement campaigns. Covers Zhu De, the Futian Incident, Hans von Seeckt, the failure of positional defence under Otto Braun, and the historiography of Schram, Snow, and Wakeman.

A focused answer on the KMT's mainland collapse in 1949, the evacuation of personnel, gold, and Palace Museum collections to Taiwan, the establishment of Chiang's authoritarian regime in Taipei, and the role of the Korean War (1950) in saving the regime. Covers the 28 February Incident, the White Terror, and the historiography of Taylor, Phillips, and Lin.

A focused answer on the Long March (October 1934 to October 1935), the Zunyi Conference, the Luding Bridge crossing, the conflict with Zhang Guotao, and the founding of the Yan'an base. Covers Mao's defeat of the 28 Bolsheviks line, the strategic and propaganda value of the March, and the historiography of Sun Shuyun, Edgar Snow, and Stuart Schram.

A focused answer on the Marco Polo Bridge Incident (7 July 1937), the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Battle of Shanghai, the Rape of Nanjing, the bombing of Chongqing, and the stalemate of 1938-1941. Covers the role of foreign aid (USSR, USA), Wang Jingwei's collaboration, and the historiography of Rana Mitter, Hans van de Ven, and Diana Lary.

A focused answer on the Nanjing Decade (1928-1937), the achievements and limits of KMT state-building, the Five Yuan Constitution, financial reforms under T.V. Soong and H.H. Kung, the 1935 currency reform, the New Life Movement, and the Blue Shirts. Covers the limits of central control and the historiography of Jay Taylor, Lloyd Eastman, and William Kirby.

A focused answer on the Northern Expedition (1926-1928), the rise of Chiang Kai-shek, the Whampoa Military Academy, the role of the First United Front, and the establishment of the Nanjing Nationalist Government. Covers strategic events including the Hankou and Nanjing incidents, Soviet Russian and Comintern involvement, and the historiography of Jonathan Fenby, Hans van de Ven, and Jay Taylor.

A focused answer on the Second United Front (1937-1945), the Xi'an Incident (December 1936), the formal CCP-KMT alliance, the New Fourth Army Incident (January 1941), and the long deterioration of relations. Covers the limited operational cooperation, the political competition for legitimacy, and the historiography of Lloyd Eastman, Lyman Van Slyke, and Odd Arne Westad.

A focused answer on the Shanghai Massacre (12 April 1927), the destruction of the First United Front, and the near-annihilation of the urban Communist Party. Covers Chiang's alliance with the Green Gang, Shanghai capital, and Western powers, the Wuhan KMT split, the failed Autumn Harvest and Canton uprisings, and the historiography of Lloyd Eastman, Stephen MacKinnon, and Steve Smith.

A focused answer on the Yan'an period (1937-1947), CCP mass mobilisation, the Mass Line, rent and interest reduction, the Rectification Movement (1942-1944), Mao Zedong Thought, and the explosive growth of base areas. Covers the Three-Thirds system, Nanniwan, Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art, and the historiography of Mark Selden, Chen Yung-fa, and Frederick Wakeman.