The Long March begins

16 October 1934, Jiangxi, China

The Long March was an important event in the formation of the People’s Republic of China, the country that we know today.

Civil war between the Chinese nationalists and communists had been ongoing since 1927. However when the communist forces became encircled, Mao Zedong marched the majority of his army through China for a year, arriving in Shaanxi the undisputed leader of the Communist Party. While it would not be until 1949 that Mao would be able to fully seize power, the Long March was an integral moment in his rise. An important player in Cold War politics, Communist China remains a key participant on the global stage. Speaking of the march, Mao stated: “It has announced to some 200 million people in 11 provinces that the road of the Red Army is their only road to liberation.”