<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Standard Mandarin </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Hanyu Pinyin </Th> <Td> Zhōngguó Rénmín Jiěfàng Zhànzhēng </Td> </Tr> <P> By the end of the Second Sino - Japanese War, the power of the Communist Party grew considerably . Their main force grew to 1.2 million troops, backed with additional militia of 2 million, totalling 3.2 million troops . Their "Liberated Zone" in 1945 contained 19 base areas, including one - quarter of the country's territory and one - third of its population; this included many important towns and cities . Moreover, the Soviet Union turned over all of its captured Japanese weapons and a substantial amount of their own supplies to the Communists, who received Northeastern China from the Soviets as well . </P> <P> In March 1946, despite repeated requests from Chiang, the Soviet Red Army under the command of Marshal Malinovsky continued to delay pulling out of Manchuria while Malinovsky secretly told the CPC forces to move in behind them, which led to full - scale war for the control of the Northeast . These favorable conditions also facilitated many changes inside the Communist leadership: the more radical hard - line faction who wanted full military bloodshed and warfare to take - over China finally gained the upper hand and defeated the careful opportunists . Prior to giving control to Communist leaders, on March 27 Soviet diplomats requested a joint venture of industrial development with the Nationalist Party in Manchuria . </P>

Who did the peasants support in the civil war in china and why