Discuss the causes of the Communist Victory in the Chinese Civil War (20 marks)

Intro:The primary cause of the Communist victory in October 1949 lies in the military strengths of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The brutal but effective discipline which was applied to Communist soldiers of all ranks made for an efficient, committed and loyal army. This would ultimately overpower the better-resourced, but far-less organised Nationalist forces. Furthermore, the CCP was also able to appeal to the masses much more effectively than the Nationalists, employing propaganda campaigns targeted at China's overwhelmingly rural population. This, as well as the volatile economic conditions in China at the time, are important contributory factors to the CCP victory. However, they are not as pivotal as the military strengths of the CCP, which provided a significant physical advantage - winning the war in the most literal sense.
Paragraph One:The Communists were able to develop an efficient military by enforcing two main initiatives. The first of which, was unrelenting discipline through a series of Military Codes, as well as extreme sanctions for those who stepped out of line. For example...