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Modern War on an Ancient Battlefield: The Diffusion of Military Technology and Ideas in the Chinese Civil War, 1946-49

Cheng, Victor LU (2008) In Modern China
Abstract
This article studies a hitherto unexplored dimension of the Chinese Civil War: the disparity between modern military technology and the conceptual and logistical capacities of the two warring sides. The author argues that the advanced weaponry, received by the Nationalists from their ally, the United States, but often captured on the battlefield by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forces, proved to be a liability because the Chinese armies, burdened by insufficient logistical capability and antiquated military thinking, were unable to use the weaponry effectively. By examining the intersection of Chinese and modern Western ways of warfare and technological capacities, the author contends that the difficulties experienced by the Chinese... (More)
This article studies a hitherto unexplored dimension of the Chinese Civil War: the disparity between modern military technology and the conceptual and logistical capacities of the two warring sides. The author argues that the advanced weaponry, received by the Nationalists from their ally, the United States, but often captured on the battlefield by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forces, proved to be a liability because the Chinese armies, burdened by insufficient logistical capability and antiquated military thinking, were unable to use the weaponry effectively. By examining the intersection of Chinese and modern Western ways of warfare and technological capacities, the author contends that the difficulties experienced by the Chinese leaders in sustaining a modern army created technophobic misperceptions that had a significant effect on their decision-making. In this sense, the implication of this article transcends the Chinese Civil War history and solidifies often-abstract discussions about “modernity” and “tradition”. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
in press
subject
keywords
modernity, Chinese Civil War, revolution in military affairs, military decision making
in
Modern China
publisher
SAGE Publications
ISSN
0097-7004
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
3ca28ede-9397-40db-9311-352e73317dac (old id 950471)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 12:10:39
date last changed
2018-11-21 21:09:26
@article{3ca28ede-9397-40db-9311-352e73317dac,
  abstract     = {{This article studies a hitherto unexplored dimension of the Chinese Civil War: the disparity between modern military technology and the conceptual and logistical capacities of the two warring sides. The author argues that the advanced weaponry, received by the Nationalists from their ally, the United States, but often captured on the battlefield by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forces, proved to be a liability because the Chinese armies, burdened by insufficient logistical capability and antiquated military thinking, were unable to use the weaponry effectively. By examining the intersection of Chinese and modern Western ways of warfare and technological capacities, the author contends that the difficulties experienced by the Chinese leaders in sustaining a modern army created technophobic misperceptions that had a significant effect on their decision-making. In this sense, the implication of this article transcends the Chinese Civil War history and solidifies often-abstract discussions about “modernity” and “tradition”.}},
  author       = {{Cheng, Victor}},
  issn         = {{0097-7004}},
  keywords     = {{modernity; Chinese Civil War; revolution in military affairs; military decision making}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Modern China}},
  title        = {{Modern War on an Ancient Battlefield: The Diffusion of Military Technology and Ideas in the Chinese Civil War, 1946-49}},
  year         = {{2008}},
}