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Modern War on an Ancient Battlefield

The Diffusion of American Military Technology and Ideas in the Chinese Civil War, 1946—1949

Lund University

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. It argues that the advanced weaponry received by the Nationalists from their ally, the United States, as well as that of the Chinese Communist Party forces, often captured on the battlefield, 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 article 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 history of the Chinese Civil War and solidifies often abstract discussions about "modernity" and "tradition."

Key Words: Chinese civil war • revolution in military affairs • modernity • military decision making

This version was published on January 1, 2009

Modern China, Vol. 35, No. 1, 38-64 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0097700408318909


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