How did Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalists increase his power during World War II?

Question

How did Mao and the Communists increase their power during World War II?
If somebody could help me with either one of the questions, that would be soo nice. Thanks

Answer 1

Chiang Kai-shek and the GuoMinDang increased his power by ruthlessly eliminating any opposition. Chiang was the first to expel the Communists from the Nationalist Party (GMD) early in 1927 - by late 1927 battles were being fought between the two. Chiang also employed German military advisors, and so admired the Facists he had his own "blueshirts". He was careful to retain his best soldiers as bodyguards, and sent conscipts with little or military training to fight against the Japanese. Chiang and the GMD (KMT) could only control the major cities, and was forced to retreat many times by the Japanese.

Mao and the Communists had to use their wits and their slims resources to maintain and increase their power once the Nationalists began their "extermination" campaigns. Chiang referred to the Communists as "bandits", but Chiang's forces could never defeat the Communists militarily. The Communists had military advisors from Russia, but Mao and Zhu De realized the value of Sun Tzu's "Art of War", and used its strategies effectively. Mao waged small scale guerilla warfare on the Japanese, and remained in the countryside organizing the peasants into effective soldiers.

Answer 2

Chaing Kai-shek increased his power by aligning himself with the Western Allies against Japan and Mao.

Mao increased his power by falling back into more remote regions and not engaging the Japanese, consolidating his forces for later.