Both China and Spain in the 20th century experienced civil wars which saw internal fighting between political parties for control over the nation. The Chinese Civil War from 1946-49 was fought between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) led by Mao Zedong and the incumbent Nationalist government (GMD party) led by Jiang Jieshi. The Spanish Civil War from 1936-39 was fought between left-leaning Republicans and right-wing Nationalists led by General Franco. The following essay will explore the ideological rifts, political instability, and economic problems in causing both civil wars, evaluating the perspectives of historians Brenan and Preston.
Political instability in both China and Spain was to a large extent similar in the long-term trend of decentralised control birthing militarised politics, setting the scene for violence as a political tool. In both countries, right-wing leadership encouraged militarised politics: in China, General Yuan Shikai’s dictatorship from 1912-1915 set the trend for undemocratic governance, sustained by Jiang Jieshi who rose from commander of the Huangpu military academy to lead the GMD party. Similarly in Spain, Rivera de Primo, a right-wing military leader, led a coup in 1923 that birthed a two-year-long dictatorship characterised by strong censorship and authoritarianism. …