Why didn't Mao Conquer Taiwan? (Short Animated Documentary)

In 1949 Mao won the Chinese Civil War and pushed the Koumintang government into exile in Taiwan. But why didn't he finish the job and Conquer the island, reunifying China in the process? Find out in this short and simple animated documentary.

Special Thanks to the following Patrons for their support on Patreon:
Alen
Kevin Sanders
Chris Fatta
Richard Wolfe
Stefan Møller
Ian Jensen
D. Mahlik
anon
sharpie660
Andrew Niedbala
Qi Xiao
Wolf
Ariadni Voulgari
John Garcia
Mitchell Wildoer
Paul McGee
Nathan Perlman
Bernardo Santos
Christopher Godfrey
Perry Gagne
Shaun Pullin
Danny Ansteht
James Castañeda
Sam
Chris Hall
August Block
Henry Rabung
Joooooshhhhh
Magdalena Reinberg-Leibel
Vesko Dinev
Yasin Ayas
Troy Schmidt
Mitchell Watene
hamid kadiwala
Blake Dryad
Adam Barrett
I’m Not In The Description
Lachlan
Haydn Noble
FuzzytheFair
Liam Gilleece
Byzans_Scotorius
Jeffrey Schneider

Sources:
Relations between the Chinese Mainland and Taiwan: Overview and Chronology by Winberg Chai

Taiwan and China by Lowell Dittmer

Unafraid of the Ghost: The Victim Mentality of Mao Zedong and the Two Taiwan Strait Crises in the 1950s by Kuisong Yang and Sheng Mao

[thatreddude]

I love how China didn’t have a Navy because Taiwan had taken it when they left

[nicorhodes]

1:57


General MacArthur: "oh so NOW you want to nuke China, smh"

[andrewgutmann]

Truman: If you invade Taiwan I’ll nuke you.
Mao: He’s just bluffing.
Japan: Nah bro

[VidIan]

“This plan was scrapped because frankly it was a stupid one.” Love it! Love this channel.

[DrDoom-yfqj]

This Mao guy must be important... my cat won't stop talking about him.

[JakeandElwoodBlues]

"Mao, somewhat opposed to being nuked..."

[ryanrichardson]

“Mao somewhat opposed to being nuked” is my new favorite quote

[perasperaadastra]

Your channel is an invaluable resource for all the important 'obvious' questions that are never really directly addressed in history books.

[cyberpunk.]

Favourite quotes:
“Mao somewhat opposed to being nuked.”
“Mao ordered the shelling of these islands again, because at this point why not. It was something to do I guess.”

[elgirl]

That feeling in eu4 when you only have 1 province left before you complete a mission but the number 1 mega power is guaranteeing.

[lajoyalobos]

"Mao somewhat opposed to being nuked" is right up there with "This angered his father, who punished him severely."

[pridelander]

Maybe Mao expected his troops could make a Great Leap Forward into Taiwan.


I'll see myself out.

[misomalu]

“Everybody died, this setback wasn’t enough to deter Mao, though” - Maoist China in a nutshell

[TheIdontknow]

I like the idea of Maos generals discussing the optics of: "just do a zerg rush"

[dancemaniac]

My father was stationed on the island closest to China back in the day when he was a soldier in the Taiwan military. It's actually closer to China than to Taiwan such that on a clear day they can see each other. So their side put up a giant sign that said they'll take back Taiwan and our sign said we'll take back China. Fun times.

[citywokbesitzer]

Chiang Kai Shek: "Hey Mao, wanna hear a joke?"
Mao Zedong: "Yes, why not."
Chiang Kai Shek: "Taiwan"
Mao Zedong: "I don't get it."
Chiang Kai Shek: "And you never will."

[nton]

Its Funny how large bodies of water are the best defence against invasion despite modern tech which is why Japan, USA and Britain rarely ever got invaded.

[CoralCopperHead]

I just gotta say, I absolutely love it every time one of your characters whips out a sign to reinforced your point while you're speaking. "How do plane?" was a real gem.

[rkc]

Love the attention to detail on the drawings - P-51s in the right era, F-86s later. Forrestal class carriers instead of Enterprise/Nimitz class. Excellent.

[jackespinos]

"I've got a PLAn"
PLA = People's Liberation Army
thats a good one lmao