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Why did communist forces establish a base in Yanâan during the 1930s?
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Shaanxi
The dramatic karst formations and quiet rivers of Shaanxi province offer a serene contrast to the ancient cityscape of Xi'an.
Communist forces established a base in Yanâan, Shaanxi, during the 1930s primarily as a result of the Long March (1934â35). After being driven from their previous base in the Jiangxi Soviet by Nationalist Party military campaigns, the surviving communist troops sought a location beyond the direct control of the Nationalists.12
The choice of the region was strategic for several reasons:
- Existing Infrastructure: Upon arriving in northern Shaanxi in 1935, the main communist force joined an established base area previously built by local communist leaders Gao Gang and Liu Zhidan.2
- Geographic Isolation: The remote nature of the area provided a degree of safety and allowed the communists to regroup and expand their strength.12
- Political Consolidation: Yanâan served as the headquarters where Mao Zedong firmly established his leadership of the Chinese Communist Party and refined the guerrilla warfare tactics and peasant-based reform policies that eventually brought them to power in 1949.12
From this base, the communists were able to survive the Sino-Japanese War and prepare for the subsequent civil war.12