本文以一套歷史社會學的視角，Michael Mann的IEMP Model，來檢視自1926年至1949年的中國政治史。更確切地說，以IEMP Model作為分析架構，本文嘗試重新探析為何中國國民黨會失敗而中國共產黨能成功地統治中國大陸。在國共內戰期間，國民黨在一連串的軍事挫敗中將中國大陸的統治權拱手讓與共產黨。然而，正如IEMP Model所指出，國共內戰的軍事結果實與國民黨及共產黨的政治權力中心協調利用他們所掌控的權力來源的方式息息相關。因此，本文追溯政治史至1926年，並且交相對照國民黨及共產黨的權力。藉此對照，本文指出，對日抗戰是一歷史關鍵期，而在此關鍵期中，國民黨的權力凋零，共產黨的權力茁壯。不過，國共兩造如何面對日本侵略及劇烈變化的社會環境，仍舊與他們控制協調權力來源的方式密切相關。值得注意的是，探討並對照國民黨及共產黨的權力可以提供關於1926年至1949年中國政治史一套嶄新的理解與詮釋。

This essay evaluates the history of Chinese politics between 1926 and 1949 via a perspective of historical sociology: Michael Mann's IEMP Model. Specifically, using the IEMP Model as an analytical framework, this essay explains why the Nationalists failed and Communists succeeded in dominating mainland China. The Nationalists lost mainland China to the Communists in a series of military campaigns during the Nationalist-Communist Civil War. However, as identified by the IEMP Model, the result of the military conflicts was closely related to how the Nationalist and Communist political power centres wielded other sources of social power available to them. This essay, therefore, traces back to politics in 1926 and makes a contrast between the power of the Nationalists and Communists. With such a contrast, it can be argued that the War of Resistance against Japan is the critical historical juncture at which the power the Nationalists withered and that of the Communists bloomed. Nevertheless, how the Nationalists and Communists reacted to the Japanese aggression and a changing environment was, again, related to how they control and co-ordinated other sources of social power. Remarkably, exploring and contrasting the Nationalists' and Communists' power provide a novel and better understanding of the nature of Chinese politics during the period of time under discussion.