Final answer:
The Communist Revolution in China succeeded largely due to Mao Zedong's appeal to the landless peasantry with promises of land reform, along with widespread disillusionment with the Nationalist government's corruption. Maoism's adaptation of Marxism to suit China's agrarian society and strategic peasant recruitment further solidified Communist control.
Step-by-step explanation:
The major reason for the success of the Communist Revolution in China was the deep-rooted support from the landless and poverty-stricken peasantry. Mao Zedong, the leader of the Communist Party, capitalized on the peasants' discontent with the existing feudal-like structures and the widespread corruption and inefficiency within Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government. Mao's promise of land reform and the equal distribution of wealth resonated strongly with the majority of China's population, who were primarily farmers. Additionally, the Communist Party's new interpretation of Marxism – Maoism, suggested that the revolution could occur in a largely agrarian society led by the peasantry rather than the proletariat of industrial workers, which was more suited to China's social structure at the time.
Despite substantial US aid to the Nationalists, the appeal of Communist ideology during the travails of the Great Depression, the implementation of agrarian reforms, and the strategic recruitment and rallying of the peasant population became key factors in the Communist Party's eventual takeover. The brutal struggle that the Communist Party waged against the Nationalist Party solidified their control, steering China towards a drastic transformation with long-term consequences, including severe economic policies like the "Great Leap Forward" and the Cultural Revolution, which, ironically, led to significant tragedies before the eventual retreat of extremism within the Communist leadership.