What was most surprising about the outbreak of the chinese civil war? chiang kai-shek switched sides to launch an attack on the communist party. the communist party leaders once had declared their opposition to war. the nationalist party and the communist party formerly were aligned. the nationalist party had much to lose and little to gain in a civil war.

The correct answer is C) The Nationalist Party and the Communist Party formerly were aligned.

What was most surprising about the outbreak of the Chinese Civil War was that the Nationalist Party and the Communist Party formerly were aligned.

Both, the Chinese Civil War was that the Nationalist Party and the Communist Party formerly were aligned before the political divisions that generated the civil war. In 1911, when the Qing Dynasty ended, a void of political power affected China. That is when the parties formed, the nationalist Kuomintang Party and the Communist Party. Both parties were united for a time because originally, they wanted to unify China with support from Russia. But despite being united, internal differences and political rivalries made them take separate ways.  

a, c, & d are correct:

they wanted lands to settle the extra population.

they wanted new markets for english goods.

they wanted to avoid civil war.