VI. The World Wars and the Interwar Period, 1914–1945 > H. East Asia, 1902–1945 > 2. China, 1914–1945 > 1945, Feb
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1945, Feb
 
Roosevelt, Churchill, and Joseph Stalin (1879–1953) met at Yalta (See Feb. 4–12), excluding Jiang and not even informing him of their decisions, indicating a serious drop in Jiang's international popularity.  1
 
April
 
The Seventh National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party met in Yan'an. CCP membership was 1.2 million, and troop strength was 900,000.  2
 
Aug. 8
 
With the war now over in Europe for several months, immense numbers of Soviet troops poured into Manchuria, just two days after the bombing of Hiroshima. Within the week, Japan had accepted unconditional surrender.  3
 
Aug. 14
 
Song Zewen concluded a treaty of friendship and alliance with the Soviet Union for the GMD. In return for Soviet recognition of the Nationalists as the “central government of China,” the Nationalists agreed to the independence of Outer Mongolia, gave the USSR joint 30-year ownership of the South Manchurian Railway and the port of Dalian (Japanese, Dairen), and agreed to the conversion of Lüshun (Port Arthur) into an exclusively Chinese and Soviet naval base.  4
The end of the war found China still divided between the Guomindang forces of Jiang Jieshi and the Communist forces of Mao Zedong.  5
 
Aug.–Sept
 
U.S. forces captured Shanghai, Qingdao, Dagu, Guangzhou, and Pusan (Korea) and sent troops into Beijing and Tianjin. The U.S. then flew GMD forces into these cities to have them accept Japanese surrender. The Japanese were instructed to surrender only to Jiang's, and not CCP, troops. The Communists' military commander, Zhu De (1886–1976), demanded that the Japanese surrender wherever his troops found them. Over 2 million Japanese troops were in China and Manchuria, with another 1.75 million Japanese civilians. There was a rush to accept Japanese surrender, both to gain hold over the territory and to seize the weaponry. Frequently, the GMD used former puppet troops to retain control over an area, a highly unpopular move among the populace at large. Fantastic inflation ensued, and food prices soared. (See China, 1945–2000)  6
 
 
 
The Encyclopedia of World History, Sixth edition. Peter N. Stearns, general editor. Copyright © 2001 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Maps by Mary Reilly, copyright © 2001 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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