why was china weak in the sino japanese war 2?

Question

Their country is lot bigger and has lots of population, Wha caused them to lose the war? The japanese captured each city one by one. Was it because the soldiers were poorly trained? or was it poor firearm equipments?

Answer 1

Japan was wealthier and more technologically advanced than China. So, China was outgunned, and its soldiers were not properly equipped.

China had also been in the throes of Civil War since 1927, which weakened the country. The Civil War was interrupted briefly for WWII, but resumed in 1946, which yielded the China that we know today.

Answer 2

China was weak long before the Sino-Japanese War.
The size of the country is large, and the population (even then) was the largest in all of Asia. But that did not make for a strong and efficient military. Many of the soldiers who did fight the Japanese under the Nationalist (KMT) leadership were forcibly conscripted and not properly trained. Yes, China was lacking the numbers of firearms that was needed to put divisions, then army groups, into the field.

What China was also lacking was leadership, since to the dictator Chiang Kai-shek, loyalty was more important in the KuoMinTang than one's initiative or performance. It is also know that the Chiang Kai-shek kept a lot of the best trained and armed soldiers as his bodyguards. The Nationalists (KMT) were more concerned with maintaining their shaky hold onto power and defeating the Communists (CCP) under Mao Zedong and Zhu De than defeating the Japanese.

Lastly, Japan's military had modernised much faster than the Chinese military, and their whole nation was well-run by the militarists and their Bushido ethic.

Answer 3

Militarily China was fragmented by internal problems.

One of the reasons Japan was able to defeat China was because their soldiers were better trained and had a lot more experience.

China does not have such experience, it is one of the reasons they got bogged down in their brief war with Vietnam after our war there. They regrouped and won that war, albeit in the west some say they lost it.

In the long run China, with the help of outside influences, was able to defeat Japan.

The Chinese people are highly nationalist. One of the things no country wants to do is piss off China. For one, the country is huge, for another, even little old ladies with pitch forks will defend China. While they may not do it immediately, sooner or later any force trying to take over China will be defeated. Even the USA with all it's highly trained soldiers, experience and high tech weapons won't stand a chance against China. Just look at all the trouble we are having with a tenth rate power and the increased problems were having with a stone aged power. Nationalism and pride is the answer, one that the USA needs to learn otherwise we'll continue getting bogged down in wars that we have no business creating.

Answer 4

Historically China is better at Peace than War. Despite personal courage & bravery the Nation has rarely fielded armies that terrified their foes. The most militant bunch within China, the Mongols, conquered, settled in and became just as haplessly non agressive over the centuries. Localized fighting, tiffs between neighbors in various provinces was endemic, war-lords in title in fact gangster-governors ruled their provinces or even parts of provinces. Many regions in China then and even now (2007) were semi-automnous. One National Identity, Chinese, but in reality a mosaic of different peoples; farmers, city dwellers, Ocean port cities differing from river port cities. Different Ideaologies tore China apart and a not so Civil War was raging between Communist forces and the Government.
Unity - - - the lack of Unitty - - - the non cohesiveness of China during the 1920's & 30's was the weakness that Japan exploited. The Japanese were 'invited' by various groups to intervene and found ready collaboraters in the cities they conquered, The Japanese conquered Cities one by One because often when One City was threatened, other Chinese cities refused to send aid because of past rivalries and mistrust. China also operated on the theory that they were so large they could ignore Japan feasting on a leg or an arm and in truth China did survive even when large swatches of turf were held by Japan,

Chinese troops were porrly trained, poorly led and much of their equipment was out of date and faulty. China was a Gangster Kingdom, not unlike Nations of the West. When the Chinese Government placed a bid for example for ten thousand rifles that became a Golden Opportunity for stealing public funds. Not only were the cheapest guns purchased at exhorbinant rates but there were no weapon inspections and so crates of rifles would be delivered to units on the eve of battle. Breaking open the crates poorly trained inexperience soldiers would find guns with twisted barrlels, missing bolts, often the wronge calibre for the ammunition sold at the same time.

China contrary to your statement did not 'lose the war,' they suffered, they muddled through, they were never forced to actually surrender to the Japanese and eventually brought the Japanese to their knees with the aid of their British & American allies.

Peace.....

Answer 5

the jap observed that, as a thank you to maintain themselves in direction of the west, they had to modernize. In China, human beings refused to try this. They, specially the Mandarins needed to stay to their universal custom, with the Mandarins at common positions, all living after Confucius' philosophy. One political action was encouraging modernization, although considering the fact that there became as quickly as little relish for technicians, and fashionable replace did no longer tournament their custom. jap did modernize, specially their military, which became as quickly as why they gained the conflict in 1894. China had to lose the boxer-conflict in 1899, against the western worldwide, in the previous they finally began to adept their custom.

Answer 6

China at that time was very disorganized and disunified. Infighting has always been a major reason why superior powers have failed to achieve dominance over inferior powers. The Chinese were too busy fighting among themselves to organize to fight the Japanese.