Question

inquiry: how did the communist party win support in china?
** document 1
source: mao zedong, rising leader of the chinese communist party, written report on the peasant movement in central china, 1927.
the present upsurge of the peasant movement is a colossal event. in a very short time, in china’s central, southern, and northern provinces, several hundred million peasants will rise like a mighty storm, like a hurricane, a force so swift and violent that no power, however great, will be able to hold it back. they will smash all the chains that bind them and rush forward along the road to liberation. they will sweep all the imperialists, warlords, corrupt officials, local tyrants, and evil landowners into their graves.

• document 2

source: japanese political affairs bureau for occupied china, administrative office of the japanese army, report, 1941.
the chinese communist red army champions army - civilian integration and is continuously organizing local guerrilla units. as a consequence, it is extraordinarily difficult to separate the communist bandits from the peasants in our efforts to destroy the communists.

Explanation:

To determine how the Communist Party won support, we analyze the documents:

• Document 1 (Mao Zedong, 1927) highlights the peasant movement. The Party aligned with peasants' desire for liberation from imperialists, warlords, and oppressive landowners, mobilizing them as a powerful force.
• Document 2 (Japanese report, 1941) shows the Red Army’s army - civilian integration and guerrilla organization. This built trust and unity with peasants, as the Party fought alongside them (e.g., against Japanese occupation), making it hard to separate Communists from peasants.

The Party gained support by: 1) Mobilizing peasants (the majority) against oppressors (per Document 1). 2) Fostering army - civilian unity (fighting with peasants, organizing guerrillas) to protect and empower them, especially during Japanese occupation (per Document 2). Overall, the Party addressed peasants' grievances, fought for their liberation, and built close ties (military - civilian integration) to win their support.

Answer:

The Communist Party won support in China mainly by mobilizing the peasantry (a vast majority of the population) and building close army - civilian ties:

• From Document 1 (1927, Mao Zedong), the Party aligned with peasants' desire to be free from imperialists, warlords, corrupt officials, and evil landowners. The peasant movement was a colossal force for liberation, and the Party's support for this movement (fighting against their oppressors) made peasants see the Party as their champion.
• From Document 2 (1941, Japanese report), the Red Army championed army - civilian integration and organized local guerrilla units. This meant the Party fought alongside peasants (e.g., against Japanese occupation), building trust and unity. Peasants saw the Party as protecting them, so they supported the Party, making it hard to separate Communists from peasants.