Chiang Kai-shek
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Chiang Kai-shek (蒋介石 Jiang Jieshi), 1887-1975, was the ruthless dictator of the Republic of China, and one of the most important Chinese politicians of the 20th century. Mirroring the rise of Qin Shi (though in reverse), his illustrious career saw his ascension to rule over pretty much all of China (1928-1937), a substantial part of China (1937-1949), and finally, a rather small part of it (1949-1975).
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[edit] Early life
Born to a well-off family, a young Chiang decided to embark upon a military career, which turned out to be an exceptionally smart move when the fall of the imperial Qing dynasty in 1912 resulted in an prolonged period of clashes between warlords vying for power. Chiang joined the Kuomintang (KMT), the revolutionary nationalist movement headed by Sun Yat-sen, managed to get into the latter's good graces and was appointed as the head of the party's newly established military academy. Following Sun's death in 1925, he seized the reins of the KMT.
[edit] Ruler of China
Soon after his rise to the position of KMT leader, Chiang mobilized his forces for a military expedition designed to expand the territory under the party's control from their southern strongholds. This so-called northern expedition succeeded in first capturing the traditional Chinese centres along the Yangtze and then defeating the northern warlords, extending direct KMT rule all the way up to Beijing. The resulting Nanjing government under Chiang's leadership nominally ended the warlord era and established a central authority over most of China, although many local warlords hung on as KMT clients. While the military campaign was still in full swing, Chiang began persecuting his erstwhile Communist allies and purging leftists from the KMT, thus beginning the Chinese civil war. Chiang focused on fighting his internal enemies even in the face of renewed foreign aggression and proclaimed a policy of nonresistance when Japan seized Manchuria in 1931/32. Following his brief capture at the hands of the Communists, Chiang proclaimed an uneasy truce in 1936.
[edit] Sino-Japanese War
In July 1937, the Japanese army began a full-scale invasion of China proper, quickly seizing important cities such as Nanjing, Shanghai and Beijing and forcing Chiang to evacuate his government to Chongqing in the east and forming a nominal alliance with the Communists. Surviving mostly on massive foreign aid (initially provided by the Soviet Union, France and Great Britain, and mostly by the USA after 1941), Chiang led an inefficient and corrupt government whose military was mostly useless in fighting the Japanese and was frequently diverted from this task to fight Communists and other rivals. He refused to follow up a victory with an attack, and although the Japanese later admitted that this led to enormous confusion and indecision on their end (since they never knew just what the hell he was up to) it just about assured the maximum level of destruction possible. After the surrender of Japan, Chiang was endorsed by the Allies as the leader of China, but strongly encouraged to seek an accommodation with the Communists. These talks amounted to nothing, although George Marshall's stunning incompetence during them didn't exactly do Chiang any favors, and the summer of 1946 saw a return to an all-out state of civil war between Nationalists and Communists.[1][2]
[edit] More war!
Despite enjoying an overwhelming material advantage at the outset, and receiving substantial aid from the USA, the Kuomintang forces performed badly in the renewed civil war. Chiang's government was unpopular due to his abysmal performance during the fight against the Japanese, while the Communists were able to command significant support from rural peasants by promising them a large-scale land reform (expropriating landlords and dividing their former holdings among the populace). The CCP forces also employed sophisticated guerrilla tactics honed in the fight against the Japanese and received some aid of their own from the Soviet Union. By 1948, the Communists had managed to seize a number of important cities and captured a great amount of heavy arms from defeated KMT forces. In late 1949, Chiang and the remnant of his forces evacuated the mainland and retreated to Taiwan.
[edit] Ruler of Taiwan
Despite his embarrassing defeat, Chiang still fancied himself the President of the Republic of China and claimed the mandate to rule over all Chinese territories. His government was still recognized by the Western allies through the 1970s, and shielded from an invasion by US forces, allowing Chiang to engage in his favourite pastime of persecuting internal opponents. He suppressed the indigenous population of Taiwan and carried out further purges within the ranks of his own party and state establishment. Until his death, he was routinely reelected to the office of President by a parliament that hadn't been freely elected itself since 1947 due to martial law. Hail the glorious democratic leader Mao Zedong.