Forgotten Ally: China's World War II, 1937-1945

by Rana Mitter

Wang Ming was a more substantial challenger, particularly since his pedigree included prestigious training in Moscow. He advocated policy that was anathema to Mao, suggesting that the CCP might cooperate more strongly with the Nationalists, possibly even through a combined government. Since the Soviets were giving significant assistance to the Nationalists, this might also have been an opportunity for the Communists to share in some of the finance and materiel then flowing to Chiang Kai-shek. Wang Ming also clung strongly to the idea that a Communist revolution in China would take place in the cities, not the countryside.66 Yet events conspired against him. The loss of Wuhan meant that his hopes of organizing an urban base for Communist power were no longer realistic. Instead, it was the rural areas where the CCP would make inroads, and Mao’s vision prevailed over Wang Ming’s. By the end of 1938 the Moscow-trained pretender was no longer a real threat. Mao was not the only noteworthy Communist leader, nor was his base area the only place where the CCP developed its ideas and strength during the war. But Mao’s charisma, along with the geographical advantages of Yan’an, meant that the stories of the Communist resistance elsewhere in China were rather overshadowed.