The September 18th Incident

On the night of September 18, 1931, after lengthy planning and preparation, the Japanese Kwantung Army, stationed in Northeast China according to inequal treaty, bombed the Southern Manchurian Railway near the Liutiao Lake in the northern suburbs of Shenyang, Liaoning Province, and then blamed the Chinese troops. Using this as a pretext, they launched a sudden attack of Beidaying where the Chinese Northeast Army was garrisoned, and the city of Shenyang. Within a couple of days, the invaders had occupied more than 20 cities and large areas of land in the vicinity. This act of aggression was known as the September 18th Incident.

Ignoring the Japanese invaders and the national crisis, the KMT government still focused on its civil war against the Communists, followed a policy of absolute non-resistance toward the Japanese army, and ordered the Northeast Army to retreat to the south of the Shanhai Pass on the Great Wall. Following their occupation of Shenyang, the Japanese army continued to invade Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces and, by February 1932, the three provinces in Northeast China had all fallen into enemy hands.

The September 18th Incident was a natural result of the expansionist policy of aggression against China that had long been followed by the Japanese government. It was a major step toward turning China into a Japanese colony.

The incident made the Chinese people realize that the nation was facing grand dangers, and public calls went up to drive the Japanese imperialists out of China. There were widespread cries to resist the Japanese aggression, and public opposition to the KMT government policy of non-resistance.

As the situation deteriorated, the CPC continued to champion the cause of resistance. Under the CPC's leadership and influence, the people of Northeast China stood up to the invaders and waged guerrilla warfare. Various armed resistance forces such as the Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army emerged. In February 1936, these forces were restructured into the Northeast United Resistance Army. After the July 7th Incident of 1937, the United Resistance Army engaged in extensive guerilla resistance with the support of local people, which dovetailed with the national resistance under the CPC's leadership.

九一八事變

1931年9月18日深夜，根據不平等條約駐扎在中國東北的日本關東軍經過長時間密謀和精心策劃，炸毀了沈陽北郊柳條湖附近的一段南滿鐵路，栽贓嫁禍于中國守軍，并借此突然襲擊了東北軍駐地北大營和沈陽城，隨即在幾天內侵占20多座城市及其周圍的廣大地區。這就是震驚中外的九一八事變。在日軍侵略面前，國民黨政府置民族危機于不顧，仍集中力量進行反共反人民的內戰，對日軍采取絕對不抵抗主義，命令東北軍撤至山海關內。日軍在占領沈陽后，接著分兵侵占吉林、黑龍江。1932年2月，東北三省全部淪陷。

九一八事變是日本政府長期以來推行對華侵略擴張政策的必然結果，是企圖變中國為其獨占殖民地而采取的重要步驟。九一八事變后，中華民族到了最危險的時候，成為全國各族人民、各界人士的共識；將日本帝國主義驅逐出中國，成為中華兒女的心聲。各地人民紛紛要求抗日，反對國民黨政府的“不抵抗”政策。

在民族危機日益嚴重的形勢下，中國共產黨繼續舉起抗日的旗幟。在中國共產黨的領導和影響下，東北人民奮起抵抗，開展抗日游擊戰爭，涌現出東北抗日義勇軍等各種抗日武裝。1936年2月，東北各抗日部隊統一改編為東北抗日聯軍。1937年盧溝橋事變后，抗日聯軍團結廣大群眾，進一步開展了廣泛持久的抗日武裝斗爭，有力地配合了中國共產黨領導的全國抗戰。