The Chinese Civil War was an attempt by two ideologically opposed forces – the Nationalist Guomindang and the Chinese Communists – to gain central control over China. There are two phases to this civil war: the first phase started in 1927 and was halted in 1937 when the Sino-Japanese war broke out.  The second phase started with the defeat of the Japanese in 1945 and ended with Mao's victory in 1949.

The results of this civil war not only had a revolutionary impact on China, they also had wide ranging effects for the region and for international relations.

It is an excellent example of a civil war in which there was foreign intervention and where guerilla tactics were used by one side.