republic · China, Tibet and Mongolia

Chinese Soviet Republic

1931 CE – 1937 CE · capital Ruijin

The Communist state founded in the hills of Jiangxi in 1931, where Mao Zedong and the Red Army learned to govern before the Long March.

Origins

After the Nationalist government turned on its Communist allies in 1927, Communist forces under Mao Zedong and Zhu De built rural bases in the mountains between Jiangxi and Fujian. On 7 November 1931 a congress at Ruijin proclaimed the Chinese Soviet Republic, with Mao as chairman of its central executive committee.

Rule and society

The republic redistributed land from landlords to poor peasants, issued its own currency, stamps and laws on marriage and labour, and mobilised villagers for the Red Army. It was linked to other soviet base areas across central China. Its policies were shaped by Comintern-trained leaders, who sidelined Mao after 1932, and by constant encirclement campaigns launched by Chiang Kai-shek.

Decline and legacy

The fifth encirclement campaign, using blockhouses and blockade, broke the Jiangxi base, and in October 1934 the Red Army began the Long March, reaching northern Shaanxi in 1935. Under the Second United Front in 1937 the remaining soviet became the Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region.

Lineage

Republic of China 1912 CE – presentChinese Soviet RepublicRepublic of China 1912 CE – present

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Chinese Soviet Republic. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chinese-soviet-republic
MLA
“Chinese Soviet Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chinese-soviet-republic. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Chinese Soviet Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chinese-soviet-republic.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Chinese Soviet Republic’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chinese-soviet-republic (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻