Long March: A military retreat undertaken by Red Army, the forerunner of People’s Liberation Army, to evade Kuomintang forces during Chinese Civil War. Mao Zedong emerged as top leader during this march.
People's Liberation Army: The armed forces of the Communist Party of China and later People’s Republic Of China. It played a key role in securing communist victory in Chinese Civil War.
Second Sino-Japanese War: A major war between Nationalist-controlled areas of China and Japan that happened during Chinese Civil War from 1937-1945. This external threat influenced dynamics within civil war.