During the Songhu Battle on Aug. 13, 1937, Chinese soldiers fought fiercely against the Japanese at a warehouse in Shanghai.
Holding Back Japanese Expansion
Among the Allies, China was underdeveloped and poor compared to the highly industrialized and militarized Japan. But the Chinese people did not surrender. They persevered in fighting Japan and finally won the war. British historian Rana Mitter said that after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Allies’ victory in Europe and Asia was largely dependent on the fact the Japan and China fought each other so fiercely.
After the world war broke out, the Allies decided to put more effort into defeating Germany first before taking down Japan. But Asian and Pacific battlefields were important in the victory over fascism. China thus became a key battlefield. It was the major holdout against Japanese expansion and a major link in the overall Allied strategy. If China had succumbed, history would be different. As Mao Zedong pointed out, China’s great anti-Japanese war was not only important to its own people, but to Asia and the world.
The war in China ended Japan’s global ambitions. China maintained a protracted war fought by the whole nation, and gradually gained an advantage. Chinese troops fought courageously and initiated a series of battles that checked Japanese aggression. Behind the lines, the CPC-led Eighth Route Army and New Fourth Army and the general public launched guerrilla attacks on Japanese troops. The guerrillas grew stronger and became a major force. Under such pressure, Japan could transfer no divisions to support the Axis in other battlefields.
In mid-1943, China grew stronger and mounted a series of blows against the invaders.
In August 1945, the Soviet Union dispatched forces to northeast China, while the U.S. army attacked Japan and dropped its atomic bombs. A series of operations accelerated the fall of Japan. Under joint attacks from Chinese and Allied forces, Japan surrendered unconditionally. Of the 2 million Japanese troops in China, more than 1.28 million surrendered.
China was also an advocate of forging an international anti-fascist united front. On Jan.1, 1942, 26 countries, including China, the U.S., Britain and the Soviet Union, signed the Declaration by United Nations. Later, another 21 countries, including France, acceded to the declaration. Towards the end of the war, China was the largest battlefield for the Allies in Asia. China, the U.S., Britain, and the Soviet Union were the four major anti-fascist forces. China helped in the founding of the United Nations (UN), and became a foundation member and permanent member of the UN Security Council, contributing greatly to post-war international order.
The victory over fascism belonged to people around the world. China’s anti-Japanese war contributed greatly to the victory. The Chinese people won world’s respect by fighting extremely hard and bitter battles. After the war, China ended its semi-colony status and became a rising power. China was the first country to fight fascism in the Second World War, as well as the country that fought the longest – and it paid a great price.
