The Guomindang’s (KMT) social base was in urban areas of China. Industrial
growth was slow and limited at that time. By 1919, an industrial working class of
around 5, 00,000 people had appeared in cities like Shanghai. These cities later
became the centre of modern growth. However, only a small percentage of these
people were employed in modern industries such as ship building. Most were ‘petty
urbanites’ (xiao shimin), traders and shopkeepers. Urban workers, particularly
women, earned very low wages. They were now organising themselves into trade
unions. Working hours were long and conditions of work were bad. As ideas of
freedom became popular, there was a growing concern with women’s rights, ways
to build a family based on equality and discussions about love and romance. Many
schools and universities came up to help in the social and cultural change (Peking
University was established in 1902). Journalism also started reflecting the
growing attraction of this new thinking.

Chiang was a conservative and he encouraged women to have the four virtues
of ‘chastity, appearance, speech and work’. He thought that women’s roles should
be limited to the household. Even the length of hemlines worn by women (frock
like dress for women) was prescribed. He also tried to suppress the trade union
movements to encourage factory owners. The Guomindang, despite its attempts to
unite the country, failed because of its narrow social base and limited political
vision. A major plan in Sun Yat-sen’s programme was to control the capital
and equalise land. But this was never carried out because the party ignore the
peasantry and the rising socia inequalities. It only tried to impos military
orders rather than addressin the problems faced by the people.

The Rise of the Communist Party of China

When the Japanese invaded China in 1937, the Guomindang withdrew
themselves. The long and exhausting war had made China weak. Between 1945 and
1949, prices rose 30 per cent per month. All this had completely destroyed the
lives of ordinary people. Rural China faced two crises: one ecological, with soil
exhaustion, deforestation and floods, and the second, a socio-economic one caused
by exploitation through land-tenure systems, indebtedness, primitive technology
and poor communications.

The CCP had been founded in 1921, soon after the Russian Revolution. The
success of the Russian revolution had a powerful influence around the world.
Leader such as Lenin established the Comintern in March 1918 to help bring
together world government that would end exploitation. The Comintern and the
Soviet Unio supported communist parties around the world. But they followed the
traditiona Marxist idea that only the working class in the cities could bring a
revolution.