Xian Incident, 1936

What was the Xian Incident?

The Xian Incident was the event that forced the GMD to form a 'Second United Front' with the CCP.

When was the Xian Incident?

The Xian Incident took place between the 12th and 24th December, 1936.

Who was involved in the Xian Incident?

There were 3 key people involved in the Xian Incident:

• ❖ Zhang Xueliang, or the 'Young Marshall,' was a powerful warlord and ruler of north-eastern China. He was an ally of the GMD.
• ❖ Chiang Kai-shek was the President of China and commander of all GMD and allied forces.
• ❖ Zhou Enlai was Mao Zedong's second in command and vice-Chairman of the CCP.

What happened during the Xian Incident?

There were 5 key events during the Xian Incident:

• ❖ In 1936 Chiang Kai-shek was planning a final offensive against the CCP.
• ❖ In December 1936, Chiang flew to Zhang Xueliang's headquarters in northern China to lead the offensive.
• ❖ Zhang refused to attack the CCP and demanded Chiang fight the Japanese instead. As a result, Zhang took Chiang hostage.
• ❖ Zhang forced Chiang to meet with Zhou Enlai in order to come to an agreement with the CCP.
• ❖ Zhou and Chiang agreed a ceasefire between the GMD and the CCP. Chiang promised to form a 'Second United Front' against Japan. Zhou promised Chiang the CCP would accept his leadership.

Why did the Xian Incident happen?

There were 5 important reasons for the Xian Incident:

• ❖ Chiang Kai-shek was focused on destroying the CCP, rather than the Japanese occupation of Manchuria. He said the Japanese were 'a disease of the skin', whereas communism was 'a disease of the heart', meaning Japan was less of a threat than the CCP.
• ❖ Zhang Xueliang, the 'Young Marshall', had been ordered to destroy the CCP operating from their base at Jiangxi in northern China.
• ❖ Zhang's father had been assassinated by the Japanese and his Northern Army came from the regions occupied by Japan. They had strong nationalist feelings and felt Japan was the greater threat.
• ❖ Japan occupied Manchuria and it was well known the Japanese were preparing an invasion into northern China.
• ❖ Zhang had entered into talks with the CCP to try to form an anti-Japanese alliance before Chiang arrived at his headquarters.

What was significant about the Xian Incident?

The Xian Incident was significant for 5 reasons:

• ❖ It ended the first phase of the civil war between the GMD and the CCP.
• ❖ The incident secured time for Mao Zedong to recover from GMD attacks and build the fighting strength of the CCP's Red Army.
• ❖ The formation of the Second United Front established the CCP as a credible nationalist force, willing to fight the Japanese. Chiang Kai-shek's reputation was undermined.
• ❖ Chiang never intended to keep to the agreement as he had been forced into it. There would only be a short break in hostilities between the GMD and the CCP.
• ❖ The Soviet Union recognised Chiang Kai-shek as leader of the Second United Front and agreed to supply his forces with arms to fight Japan.