Part 4/9:
Mao participated in the establishment of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1921, albeit within an alliance with Sun Yat-sen’s Nationalist Party (Kuomintang). However, tensions soon arose, leading to a brutal suppression of communist members in 1927 under the nationalists' new leader, Chiang Kai-shek. This marked the beginning of the Chinese Civil War, during which Mao's strategies evolved to embrace guerrilla warfare, ultimately capitalizing on the agrarian strength of the rural populace.