Difference between revisions of "Chiang Kai-shek" - New World Encyclopedia

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|colspan=2 align=center style="border-top:1px solid #ccd2d9"|[[Image:Chiang Kai-shek.jpg|200px|Chiang Kai-shek]]
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[[image:Chiang Kai-shek Colour.jpg|thumb|200px|Chiang Kai-shek]]
!style="background:#ccf; border-bottom:1px solid #ccd2d9" colspan=2|[[Chinese name|Names]] (''[[#Names|details]]'')
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'''Chiang Kai-shek'''  (October 31, 1887 – April 5, 1975) was one of the most important political leaders in twentieth century Chinese history, serving between [[Sun Yat-sen]] and [[Mao Zedong]]. He was a military and political leader who assumed the leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT) after the death of Sun Yat-sen in 1925. He commanded the Northern Expedition to unify China against the warlords and emerged victorious in 1928, as the overall leader of the [[Republic of China]] (ROC). Chiang led China in the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]], during which time his international prominence grew.
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|align=right|Known in English as:||Chiang Kai-shek
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During the Chinese Civil War (1926–1949), Chiang attempted to eradicate the Chinese Communists but ultimately failed, forcing his government to retreat to [[Taiwan]] (The Republic of China) where he continued serving as the President of the Republic and Director-General of the KMT for the remainder of his life. Taiwan occupied China's Permanent Seat in the United Nations Security Council until 1971, when UN Resolution 2758 was adopted. This resolution recognized for the first time the Government of the [[People's Republic of China]] (Mainland China) as the legitimate representatives of China to the [[United Nations]]. With this resolution, the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek's government-in-exile were expelled from the UN.
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|align=right style="border-top:1px solid #ccd2d9"|Known in [[People's Republic of China|mainland China]] as:||style="border-top:1px solid"|蔣介石
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Chiang, a fervent patriot, had the adaptability to switch from political to military leader and back again. His original goal was the modernization of [[China]], yet the constancy of [[war]] during his tenure dictated his effectiveness.
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{{toc}}
|align=right|[[Hanyu Pinyin]]:||Jiǎng Jièshí
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Chiang Kai-shek's legacy was incomplete. Though he was personally ascetic, corruption flourished in the KMT under him. Favored by Western democracies, in contrast he imposed [[martial law]] on Taiwan. He attempted to unify his divided nation, and to stabilize and develop it as well. Though he failed in a number of respects, he left behind a prosperous economy that grew into a genuine democracy. Chiang is known for his vigorous anti-communist stance, having founded the [[World Anti-Communist League]] (WACL). Across the Taiwan Straits on the mainland, more than one million Chinese were murdered during the first cultural revolution of 1949, and some estimates place the number as more than 27,000,000 deaths from starvation in the [[famine]] which lasted from from 1959 through 1961. The second Cultural Revolution, equally devastating to human freedom of expression, began in 1966 and ended in 1976, soon after Mao's death. It was this needless suffering and loss of life under [[communism]] that motivated Chiang to fight it throughout his adult life.
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|align=right|[[Wade-Giles]]:||Chiang Chieh-shih
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==Personal life==
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On October 31, 1887, Chiang Kai-shek was born in the town of Xikou, Fenghua County, Ningbo Prefecture, Zhejiang. However, his ancestral home, a concept important in Chinese society, was the town of Heqiao in Jiangsu Province, not far from the shores of the famous Lake Taihu.
|align=right|Known in [[Republic of China|Taiwan]] as:||蔣中正
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His parents were Chiang Zhaocong and Wang Caiyu, part of an upper-middle class family of farmers and [[salt]] merchants.
|align=right|[[Hanyu Pinyin]]:||Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng
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===Youth and education===
|align=right|[[Wade-Giles]]:||Chiang Chung-cheng
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Chiang attended private school, where he learned the Chinese classics. Both his father and his grandfather died while he was young. He is said to have adored his mother even more for that, describing her as the "embodiment of Confucian virtues."
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|align=right style="border-top:1px solid #ccd2d9"|Family name:||style="border-top:1px solid #ccd2d9"|[[Jiang (surname)|Jiang]]
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At that time in Chinese society, fatherless families were looked down upon and often taken advantage of. Tolerant of the hardships they faced following his father's death, the young Chiang developed an enthusiasm for learning. He continued his classical studies until the age of 17, when he enrolled in a modern school. Following that, he attended school at Ningbo, where he studied current affairs and western law.
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|align=right|[[Traditional Chinese]]:||<big>蔣</big>
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During this time his attentions turned to Sun Yat-sen, a revolutionary and political leader of the time (today known as the "father of modern China"). This interest eventually led him towards his path of leadership.
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|align=right|[[Simplified Chinese]]:||<big>蒋</big>
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Chiang grew up in an era in which military defeats and [[civil war]]s among warlords had left [[China]] destabilized and in debt, and he decided to pursue a military career to save his country. He began his military education at the [[Baoding Military Academy]] in 1906. He began attending a preparatory school for Chinese students, [[Rikugun Shikan Gakko]] in [[Japan]] in 1907. There, he was influenced by his compatriots to support the revolutionary movement to overthrow the [[Qing Dynasty]] and to set up a Chinese Republic. He befriended fellow Zhejiang native [[Chen Qimei]], and, in 1908, Chen brought Chiang into the [[Tongmenghui]], a precursor organization of the [[Kuomintang]]. Chiang served in the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] from 1909 to 1911. In 1923, he was dispatched to [[Moscow]] to study military techniques, returning as the first commandant of the [[Whampoa Military Academy]] in 1924, an institution that provided the most talented generals of both the Kuomintang and the Communist armies.
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|align=right style="border-top:1px solid #ccd2d9"|Given||style="border-top:1px solid #ccd2d9"|names
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===Early marriages===
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In a [[marriage]] arranged by their parents, Chiang was wed to fellow villager Mao Fumei (1882–1939). Chiang and Mao had a son Chiang Ching-Kuo and a daughter Chien-hua. Mao died in the Second Sino-Japanese War during a bombardment.
|align=right|Register name (譜名):||Zhoutai (周泰)
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While married to Mao, Chiang adopted two concubines:  
|align=right|Milk name (乳名):||Ruiyuan (瑞元)
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* He married Yao Yecheng (1889-1972) in 1912. Yao raised the adopted Wei-kuo. She fled to [[Taiwan]] and died in Taipei.
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* He married Chen Jieru (1906-1971) in December 1921. Chen had a daughter in 1924, named Yaoguang, who later adopted her mother's surname. Chen's autobiography disclaims the idea that she was a concubine, claiming that by the time she married Chiang, he had already been divorced from Mao, making her his wife. Chen lived in [[Shanghai]]. She later moved to [[Hong Kong]], where she lived until her death.
|align=right|School name (學名):||Zhiqing (志清),
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===Madame Chiang Kai-shek (Mayling Soong)===
|align=right| ||later Zhongzheng (中正)
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In 1920, Chiang met [[Mayling Soong]], who was [[United States|American]]-educated and a devout [[Christian]]. A [[Buddhism|Buddhist]], Chiang was eleven years her elder. Married, Chiang nonetheless proposed marriage to Mayling, much to her mother's objections. Determined to make Mayling his wife, he eventually provided proof of divorce and made a committed conversion to Christianity. He was baptized in 1929.
|align=right|[[Chinese style name|Courtesy name]] (字):||Jieshi (介石)
 
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|align=right valign=top| ||''Kai-shek'' in [[Cantonese (linguistics)|Cantonese]]
 
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'''Chiang Kai-shek'''  (October 31, 1887 &ndash; April 5, 1975) was a Chinese military and political leader who assumed the leadership of the [[Kuomintang]] (KMT) after the death of [[Sun Yat-sen]] in 1925. He commanded the [[Northern Expedition]] to unify China against the warlords and emerged victorious in 1928 as the overall leader of the [[Republic of China]] (ROC). Chiang led China in the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]], during which his stature within China weakened but his international prominence grew. During the Chinese Civil War (1926&ndash;1949), Chiang attempted to eradicate the Chinese Communists but ultimately failed, forcing his government to retreat to [[Taiwan]], where he continued serving as the [[President of the Republic of China]] and Director-General of the KMT for the remainder of his life.
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Madame Chiang Kai-shek was a crucial partner to her husband in his public affairs, acting as his [[English language|English]] translator, secretary, adviser and an influential propagandist for the cause of [[nationalism]]. Understanding the Western mind and being a skilled negotiator, in February 1943, she became the first Chinese national, and the second woman, to ever address a joint session of the U.S. House and Senate, making the case for strong [[U.S.]] support of China in its war with [[Japan]].  
  
Known as a zealous patriot, Chiang moved from military to political leader and back again with ease.  His original goal was the modernization of China, yet the constancy of war during his tenure dictated his effectivenesss. Chiang had dreams of national glory informed by the harsh realities of his youth. Born in 1887 in a remote farm village in the eastern province of Zhejiang, he began working at the age of nine after his father died.  
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Following her husband's death in 1975, she returned to the United States, residing in Lattington, [[New York]]. Madame Chiang Kai-shek passed away on October 23, 2003, at the age of 105.
  
"Organization of the people's army", "establishment of a government of integrity" and "indemnify the rights of agricultural and industrial organizations" were slogans he used. He did not accomplish his goals of a unified and prosperous mainland China, but his leadership in Taiwan evoked loyalty and love of country in the hearts of the people. [[http://library.thinkquest.org/26469/movers-and-shakers/chiang.html]]
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==Public life==
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For several years, Chian Kai-shek traveled between [[Japan]] and [[China]], furthering both his military and political training. When revolution in his homeland became evident in 1911, he returned to China where he devoted his life seeking to stabilize and develop the nation, though at times he did this from a point of exile.
  
Like Sun Yat-sen, Chiang left an incomplete legacy. Personally ascetic, he allowed corruption to flourish. A darling of Western democrats, he imposed martial law on Taiwan—though after his 1975 death his son and successor Chiang Ching-kuo eventually lifted it. Like Sun, he tried and failed to unify a divided nation. But unlike his predecessor, Chiang Kai-shek left behind a prosperous economy that grew into a genuine democracy. [[http://www.time.com/time/asia/asia/magazine/1999/990823/cks.html]]
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=== Rise to power ===
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With the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising in 1911, Chiang Kai-shek returned to China to fight in the revolution as an artillery officer. He served in the revolutionary forces, leading a regiment in Shanghai under his friend and mentor Chen Qimei. The [[Xinhai Revolution]] was ultimately successful in overthrowing the [[Qing Dynasty]] and Chiang became a founding member of the [[Kuomintang]].
  
==Personal life==
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After takeover of the Republican government by Yuan Shikai and the failed ''Second Revolution,'' Chiang, like his Kuomintang comrades, divided his time between exile in Japan and haven in Shanghai's foreign concession areas. In Shanghai, Chiang also cultivated ties with the criminal underworld dominated by the notorious ''Green Gang'' and its leader Du Yuesheng. In 1915, Chen Qimei, Sun Yat-sen's chief lieutenant, was assassinated by agents of Yuan Shikai and Chiang succeeded him as the leader of the Chinese Revolutionary Party in Shanghai.  
Chiang Kai-shek was born in the town of [[Xikou]], approximately 33 km (20.5 miles) southwest of downtown Ningbo, in [[Fenghua]] [[County-level city|County]], [[Ningbo]] [[Prefecture-level city|Prefecture]], [[Zhejiang]] [[Province of China|Province]]. However, his [[ancestral home]]  (祖籍), a concept important in Chinese society, was the town of Heqiao (和橋鎮) in [[Yixing]] County, [[Wuxi]] Prefecture, [[Jiangsu]] Province (approximately 38 km or 24 miles southwest of downtown Wuxi, and 10 km. or 6 miles from the shores of the famous [[Lake Taihu]]).
 
  
===Youth and Education===
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[[Image:Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek.jpg|frame|left|Chiang Kai-shek was appointed by Sun Yat-sen as Commandant of the Whampoa Military Academy.]]
His parents were Chiang Zhaocong (蔣肇聰) and Wang Caiyu (王采玉), part of an upper-middle class family of [[salt]] merchants. His father died when he was only three, and he wrote of his mother as the "embodiment of Confucian virtues." In an [[arranged marriage]], Chiang was married to fellow villager Mao Fumei<sup>[[#Notes|1]]</sup> (毛福梅, 1882&ndash;1939). Chiang and Mao had a son [[Chiang Ching-Kuo|Ching-Kuo]] and a daughter Chien-hua (建華).
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In 1917, Sun Yat-sen moved his base of operations to Guangzhou and Chiang joined him the following year. Sun, who at the time was largely sidelined and without arms or money, was expelled from Guangzhou in 1918 and exiled again to Shanghai, but recovered with mercenary help in 1920. However, a rift had developed between Sun, who sought to militarily unify China under the KMT, and Guangdong Governor Chen Jiongming, who wanted to implement a [[federalism|federalist]] system with Guangdong as a model province.  
  
Chiang grew up in an era in which military defeats had left [[China]] destabilized and in debt, and he decided to join the military. He began his military education at the [[Paoting Military Academy]] in 1906. He left for the [[Shimbu Gakko|Military State Academy]] in [[Japan]] in 1907. There he was influenced by his compatriots to support the revolutionary movement to overthrow the [[Qing Dynasty]] and to set up a Chinese republic. He befriended fellow Zhejiang native [[Chen Qimei]], and in 1908 Chen brought Chiang to the [[Revolutionary Alliance]]. Chiang served in the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] from 1909 to 1911.
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On June 16, 1923, Chen attempted to expel Sun from Guangzhou and had his residence shelled. Sun and his wife Song Qingling narrowly escaped under heavy machine gun fire, only to be rescued by gunboats under the direction of Chiang Kai-shek. The incident earned Chiang Kai-shek Sun Yat-sen's lasting trust.
 
   
 
   
===Marriages===
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Sun regained control in Guangzhou in early 1924, with the help of mercenaries from Yunnan, and accepted aid from the ''Comintern''. He then undertook a reform of the Kuomintang and established a revolutionary government aimed at unifying China under the KMT. That same year, Sun sent Chiang Kai-shek to [[Moscow]] to spend three months studying the Soviet political and military system. Chiang left his eldest son Ching-kuo in [[Russia]], who would not return until 1937.  
#While married to Mao, Chiang adopted two [[concubine]]s: he married [[Yao Yecheng]] (姚冶誠, [[1889]]-[[1972]]) in [[1912]] and [[Chen Jieru]] (陳潔如, [[1906]]-[[1971]]) in December [[1921]]. Yao raised the adopted [[Chiang Wei-kuo|Wei-kuo]]. Chen had a daughter in [[1924]], named Yaoguang (瑤光), who later adopted her mother's surname. (It should be noted that Chen's autobiography disclaimed the idea that she was a concubine and claimed that by the time she married Chiang, he had already been divorced from Mao, and that therefore she was a wife.)
 
<gallery>
 
Image:Mao Fumei.jpg|Mao Fumei (毛福梅, 1882-1939) Died in the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]] during a bombardment.
 
Image:Yao Zhicheng.jpg|Yao Yecheng (姚冶誠, 1889-1972) Fled to [[Taiwan]] and died in [[Taipei]].
 
Image:Chen Jieru.jpg|Chen Jieru (陳潔如, 1906-1971) Lived in [[Shanghai]]. Moved to [[Hong Kong]] later and died there.
 
</gallery>
 
  
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Chiang returned to Guangzhou and in 1924, was made Commandant of the Whampoa Military Academy. The early years at Whampoa allowed Chiang to cultivate a cadre of young officers loyal to him and by 1925, Chiang's proto-army was scoring victories against local rivals in Guangdong province. Here he also first met and worked with a young [[Zhou Enlai]], who was selected to be Whampoa's Political Commissar. However, Chiang was deeply critical of the Kuomintang-Communist Party United Front, suspicious that the Communists would take over the KMT from within.
  
== Rise to power ==
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With Sun Yat-sen's death in 1925, a power vacuum developed in the KMT. A power struggle ensued between Chiang, who leaned towards the right wing of the KMT, and Sun Yat-sen's close comrade-in-arms Wang Jingwei, who leaned towards the left wing of the party. Though Chiang ranked relatively low in the civilian hierarchy, and Wang had succeeded Sun to power as Chairman of the National Government, Chiang's deft political maneuvering eventually allowed him to emerge victorious.  
With the outbreak of the [[Wuchang Uprising]] in 1911, Chiang Kai-shek returned to China to fight in the revolution as an artillery officer. He served in the revolutionary forces, leading a regiment in [[Shanghai]] under his friend and mentor Chen Qimei. The [[Xinhai Revolution|revolution]] was ultimately successful in overthrowing the [[Qing Dynasty]] and Chiang became a founding member of the [[Kuomintang]].
 
  
After takeover of the Republican government by [[Yuan Shikai]] and the failed [[Second Revolution]], Chiang, like his Kuomintang comrades, divided his time between exile in [[Japan]] and haven in [[Shanghai]]'s foreign concession areas. In Shanghai, Chiang also cultivated ties with the criminal underworld dominated by the notorious [[Green Gang]] and its leader [[Du Yuesheng]]. Chiang had numerous brushes with the law during this period and the International Concession police records show an arrest warrant for him for armed robbery. On February 15, 1912, Chiang Kai-shek shot and killed [[Tao Chengzhang]], the leader of the [[Restoration Society]], at point-blank range as Tao lay sick in a Shanghai French Concession hospital, thus ridding Chen Qimei of his chief rival. In 1915, Chen Qimei was assassinated by agents of Yuan Shikai and Chiang succeeded him as the leader of the [[Chinese Revolutionary Party]] in Shanghai. This was during a low point in Sun Yat-sen's career, with most of his old Revolutionary Alliance comrades refusing to join him in the exiled Chinese Revolutionary Party, and Chen Qimei had been Sun's chief lieutenant in the party.
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Chiang made gestures to cement himself as the successor of Sun Yat-sen. In a pairing of much political significance, on December 1, 1927, Chiang married Soong May-ling, the younger sister of Soong Ching-ling, Sun Yat-sen's widow, and thus positioned himself as Sun Yat-sen's brother-in-law. In [[Beijing]], Chiang paid homage to Sun Yat-sen and had his body moved to the capital, [[Nanjing]], to be enshrined in the grand mausoleum.
  
[[Image:Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek.jpg|frame|left|Chiang Kai-shek was appointed by Sun Yat-sen as Commandant of the [[Whampoa Military Academy]].]]
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Chiang, who became Commander-in-Chief of the National Revolutionary Forces in 1925, launched in July 1926, the ''Northern Expedition,'' a military campaign to defeat the warlords controlling northern China and unify the country under the KMT. He led the victorious Nationalist army into Hankou, Shanghai, and Nanjing. After taking Nanjing in March (and with Shanghai under the control of his close ally General Bai), Chiang was forced to halt his campaign and decided first clean house and break with the leftists. This was the beginning of the long [[civil war]] between the Kuomintang and the Communists.  
In 1917 Sun Yat-sen moved his base of operations to [[Guangzhou]] and Chiang joined him in 1918. Sun, at the time was largely sidelined and without arms or money, was soon expelled from Guangzhou in 1918 and exiled again to Shanghai, but restored again with mercenary help in 1920. However, a rift had developed between Sun, who sought to militarily unify China under the KMT, and Guangdong Governor [[Chen Jiongming]], who wanted to implement a [[federalism|federalist]] system with Guangdong as a model province. On June 16, 1923, Chen attempted to expel Sun from Guangzhou and had his residence shelled. Sun and his wife [[Song Qingling]] narrowly escaped under heavy machine gun fire, only to be rescued by gunboats under the direction of Chiang Kai-shek. The incident earned in Chiang Kai-shek the trust of Sun Yat-sen.
 
  
Sun regained control in Guangzhou in early 1924 with the help of mercenaries from Yunnan, and accepted aid from the [[Comintern]]. He then undertook a reform of the Kuomintang and established a revolutionary government aimed at unifying China under the KMT. That same year, Sun sent Chiang Kai-shek to spend three months in [[Moscow]] studying the Soviet political and military system. Chiang left his eldest son Ching-kuo in Russia, who would not return until 1937. Chiang Kai-shek returned to Guangzhou and in 1924 was made [[Commandant]] of the [[Whampoa Military Academy]]. The early years at Whampoa allowed Chiang to cultivate a cadre of young officers loyal to him and by 1925 Chiang's proto-army was scoring victories against local rivals in [[Guangdong]] province.  Here he also first met and worked with a young [[Zhou Enlai]], who was selected to be Whampoa's Political Commissar. However, Chiang was deeply critical of the Kuomintang-Communist Party United Front, suspicious that the Communists would take over the KMT from within.
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On April 12, 1927, Chiang began a swift attack on thousands of suspected Communists. He then established National Government in Nanking, supported by conservative allies (including [[Hu Hanmin]]). The [[communism|communists]] were purged from the KMT and the [[Soviet]] advisers were expelled. Wang Jingwei's National Government was unpopular with the masses, and was weak militarily and was soon overtaken. Eventually Wang and his leftist party surrendered to Chiang and join him in Nanking.  
  
With Sun Yat-sen's death in 1925 a power vacuum developed in the KMT. A power struggle ensued between Chiang, who leaned towards the right wing of the KMT, and Sun Yat-sen's close comrade-in-arms [[Wang Jingwei]], who leaned towards the left wing of the party. Though Chiang ranked relatively low in the civilian hierarchy, and Wang had succeeded Sun to power as Chairman of the National Government, Chiang's deft political maneuvering eventually allowed him to emerge victorious. Chiang, who became [[Commander-in-Chief]] of the [[National Revolutionary Army|National Revolutionary Forces]] in 1925, launched in July 1926 the [[Northern Expedition]], a military campaign to defeat the warlords controlling northern China and unify the country under the KMT.
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Chiang's actions earned him the support and financial backing of the Shanghai business community, and maintained him the loyalty of his Whampoa officers, many of whom hailed from Hunan elites and were discontented by the land redistribution Wang Jingwei was enacting in the area.  
  
The National Revolutionary Army branched into three divisions—to the west, Wang Jingwei led a column to take [[Wuhan]], to the east, [[Pai Ch'ung-hsi]] led another column to take [[Shanghai]], while Chiang led in the middle to take [[Nanjing]]—before they were to press ahead to take [[Beijing]]. However, in January [1927, allied with the Chinese Communists and [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] Agent [[Mikhail Borodin]], [[Wang Jingwei]] and his KMT leftist allies (including [[Hu Hanmin]] and [[Song Qingling]]), having taken the city of Wuhan amid much popular mobilization and fanfare, declared the National Government to have moved to Wuhan. After taking Nanjing in March (and with Shanghai under the control of his close ally General Pai), Chiang momentarily halted his campaign and decided to break with the leftists. On April 12, Chiang began a swift and brutal attack on thousands of suspected Communists. He then established his own National Government in [[Nanjing]], supported by his conservative allies. The communists were purged from the KMT and the Soviet advisers were expelled. This earned Chiang the support (and financial backing) of the Shanghai business community, and maintained him the loyalty of his Whampoa officers (many of whom hailed from Hunan elites were discontented by the land redistribution Wang Jingwei was enacting in the area), but led to the beginning of the [[Chinese Civil War]]. Wang Jingwei's National Government, though popular with the masses, was weak militarily and was soon overtaken by a local warlord, forcing Wang and his leftist government into joining him in Nanjing. Finally, the warlord capital of [[Beijing]] was taken in June 1928 and in December, the Manchurian warlord [[Chang Hsueh-liang]] pledged allegiance to Chiang's government.
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Chiang established his own National Government in Nanjing, supported by his conservative allies. By the end of 1927, he controlled the Kuomintang, and in 1928, he became head of the Nationalist government at Nanjing and generalissimo of all Chinese Nationalist forces.  
  
Chiang made gestures to cement himself as the successor of Sun Yat-sen. In a pairing of much political significance, Chiang married on December 1, 1927 [[Soong May-ling]], the younger sister of [[Soong Ching-ling]] (Sun Yat-sen's widow, whom he had proposed to beforehand but was swiftly rejected) in Japan and thus positioned himself as Sun Yat-sen's brother-in-law. (To please Soong's parents, Chiang had to first divorce his first wife and concubines and promise eventually to convert to [[Christianity]]. He was baptized in 1929.) Upon reaching Beijing, Chiang paid homage to Sun Yat-sen and had his body moved to the capital Nanjing to be enshrined in an [[mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen|grand mausoleum]].
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From that point on, he exercised virtually uninterrupted power as leader of the Nationalist government. The warlord capital of Beijing was taken in June 1928, and in December, the Manchurian warlord Chang Hsueh-liang pledged allegiance to Chiang's government.
  
=="Tutelage" over China==
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===Tutelage over China===
Chiang Kai-shek gained nominal control of China, but his party was "too weak to lead and too strong to overthrow". In 1928, Chiang was named [[Generalissimo]] of all Chinese forces and Chairman of the National Government, a post he held until 1932 and later from 1943 until 1948. According to KMT political orthodoxy, this period thus began the period of "political tutelage" under the dictatorship of the Kuomintang.
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Chiang Kai-shek gained nominal control of [[China]], but his party was "too weak to lead and too strong to overthrow." In 1928, Chiang was named Generalissimo of all Chinese forces and Chairman of the National Government, a post he held until 1932 and later from 1943 until 1948. According to KMT political orthodoxy, this period thus began the period of "political tutelage" under the dictatorship of the Kuomintang.
  
The decade of 1928 to 1937 was one of consolidation and accomplishment for Chiang's government. Some of the harsh aspects of foreign concessions and privileges in China were moderated through diplomacy. The government acted energetically to modernize the legal and penal systems, stabilize prices, amortize debts, reform the [[banking]] and [[currency]] systems, build [[railroad]]s and [[highway]]s, improve public health facilities, legislate against traffic in [[narcotic]]s, and augment industrial and agricultural production. Great strides also were made in education and, in an effort to help unify Chinese society—the [[New Life Movement]] was launched to stress [[Confucian]] moral values and personal discipline. [[Mandarin (linguistics)|Mandarin]] was promoted as a standard tongue. The widespread establishment of communications facilities further encouraged a sense of unity and pride among the people.  
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The decade of 1928 to 1937, was one of consolidation and accomplishment for Chiang's government. Some of the harsh aspects of foreign concessions and privileges in China were moderated through diplomacy. The government acted energetically to modernize the legal and penal systems, stabilize prices, amortize debts, reform the [[banking]] and currency systems, build railroads and highways, improve public health facilities, legislate against narcotics-trafficking, and augment industrial and agricultural production. Great strides also were made in [[education]] and, in an effort to help unify Chinese society the New Life Movement was launched to stress Confucian moral values and personal discipline. Mandarin was promoted as a standard tongue. The widespread establishment of communications facilities further encouraged a sense of unity and pride among the people.  
  
These successes, however, were met with constant upheavals with need of further political and military consolidation. Though much of the urban areas were now under the control of his party, the countryside still lay under the influence of severely weakened yet undefeated warlords and communists. Chiang fought with most of his warlord allies, with one northern rebellion—against the warlords [[Yen Hsi-shan]] and [[Feng Yuxiang]]—in 1930 almost bankrupting the government and costing almost 250,000 casualties. When [[Hu Han-min]] established a rival government in Guangzhou in 1931, Chiang's government was nearly toppled. A complete eradication of the [[Communist Party of China]] eluded Chiang. The Communists regrouped in [[Jiangxi]] and established the [[Chinese Soviet Republic]]. Chiang's anti-communist stance attracted the aid of [[Nazi Germany|German]] military advisers, and in Chiang's fifth campaign to defeat the Communists in 1934, he surrounded the [[Red Army]] only to see the Communists escape through the epic [[Long March]] to [[Yan'an]].
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These successes, however, were met with constant upheavals with need of further political and military consolidation. Though much of the urban areas were now under the control of his party, the countryside still lay under the influence of severely weakened yet undefeated warlords and communists. Chiang fought with most of his warlord allies. One of these northern rebellions against the warlords Yen Hsi-shan and Feng Yuxiang in 1930 almost bankrupted the government and cost almost 250,000 casualties.  
  
[[Image:Chiangs and Stilwell.jpg|right|thumb|233px|Generalissimo and [[Soong May-ling|Madame Chiang Kai-shek]] with [[Joseph Stilwell|General Stilwell]] in Burma (1942).]]
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When Hu Han-min established a rival government in Guangzhou in 1931, Chiang's government was nearly toppled. A complete eradication of the Communist Party of China eluded Chiang. The Communists regrouped in Jiangxi and established the Chinese Soviet Republic. Chiang's anti-communist stance attracted the aid of [[Nazi]] Germany military advisers, and in Chiang's fifth campaign to defeat the Communists in 1934, he surrounded the [[Red Army]] only to see the Communists escape through the epic [[Long March to Yan'an]].
  
== Wartime leader of China ==
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[[Image:Chiangs and Stilwell.jpg|right|thumb|233px|Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek with General Joseph Stilwell in Burma (1942).]]
After Japan's invasion of [[Manchuria]] in 1931, Chiang resigned as Chairman of the National Government.  He returned shortly, adopting a slogan "first internal pacification, then external resistance", which meant that the government would first attempt to defeat the Communists before engaging in the Japanese directly. But Japan's advance on Shanghai and bombardment of Nanjing in 1932 disrupted Chiang Kai-shek's offensives against Communists. Though it continued for several years, the policy of appeasing Japan and avoiding war was widely unpopular.  In December 1936, Chiang flew to [[Xi'an]] to coordinate a major assault on [[People's Liberation Army|Red Army]] forces holed up in [[Yan'an]]. However, Chiang's allied commander [[Chang Hsueh-liang]], whose forces were to be used in his attack and whose homeland of Manchuria had been invaded by the Japanese, had other plans. On December 12, Chang Hsueh-liang and several other Nationalist generals kidnapped Chiang Kai-shek for two weeks in what is known as the [[Xi'an Incident]].  They forced Chiang into making a "Second United Front" with the Communists against Japan. Though he lost his chance to finish off the communists, Chiang refused to make a formal public announcement of this "United Front" as many had hoped and his troops continued fighting the Communists throughout the war.
 
  
[[Second Sino-Japanese War|All-out war with Japan]] broke out in July 1937. In August of the same year, Chiang sent 500,000 of his best trained and equipped soldiers to [[Battle of Shanghai 1937|defend Shanghai]]. With about 250,000 Chinese casualties, Chiang lost his political base of [[Whampoa Military Academy|Whampoa]]-trained officers. Although Chiang lost militarily, the battle dispelled Japanese claims that it could conquer China in three months and demonstrated to the Western powers (which occupied parts of the city and invested heavily in it) that the Chinese would not surrender under intense Japanese fire. This was skillful diplomatic maneuvering on the part of Chiang, who knew the city would eventually fall, but wanted to make a strong gesture in order to secure Western military aid for China. By December, the capital city of Nanjing had fallen to the Japanese and Chiang moved the government inland to [[Chongqing]]. Devoid of economic and industrial resources, Chiang could not counter-attack and held off the rest of the war preserving whatever territory he still controlled, though his strategy succeeded in stretching Japanese supply lines and bogging down Japanese soldiers in the vast Chinese interior who would otherwise have been sent to conquer southeast Asia and the Pacific islands.
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=== Wartime leader of China ===
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After Japan's invasion of [[Manchuria]] in 1931, Chiang temporarily resigned as Chairman of the National Government. Returning, he adopted a slogan "first internal pacification, then external resistance," which meant that the government would first attempt to defeat the Communists before engaging the Japanese directly. Though it continued for several years, the policy of appeasing [[Japan]] and avoiding [[war]] was widely unpopular. In December 1936, Chiang flew to Xi'an to coordinate a major assault on People's Liberation Army (Red Army) forces holed up in Yan'an. On December 12, Chang Hsueh-liang whose homeland of Manchuria had been invaded by the Japanese, and several other Nationalist generals, kidnapped Chiang Kai-shek for two weeks in what is known as the Xi'an Incident. The conditions for his release included his agreement to form a "United Front" against Japan. Chiang refused to make a formal public announcement of this "United Front" as many had hoped, and his troops continued fighting the Communists throughout the war.
  
With the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor]] and the opening of the [[Pacific War]], China became one of the [[Allied Powers]]. During and after [[World War II]], Chiang and his American-educated wife [[Soong May-ling]], commonly referred to as "Madame Chiang Kai-shek", held the unwavering support of the [[United States]] [[China Lobby]] which saw in them the hope of a [[Christianity|Christian]] and [[democratic]] China. Chiang Kai-shek's policies were far from Christian or democratic, but this remained unknown to the U.S. public due to strong state-imposed [[censorship]] in China and self-imposed censorship in the U.S. during the war years and after. This was especially fomented by the Chiangs' close friendship with ''[[TIME]]'' magazine publisher [[Henry Luce]].
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All-out war with Japan broke out in July 1937. In August of the same year, Chiang sent 500,000 of his best trained and equipped soldiers to defend Shanghai. With about 250,000 Chinese casualties, Chiang lost his political base of Whampoa-trained officers. Although Chiang lost militarily, the battle dispelled Japanese claims that it could conquer China in three months and demonstrated to the Western powers (which occupied parts of the city and invested heavily in it) that the Chinese would not surrender under intense Japanese fire. This was skillful diplomatic maneuvering on the part of Chiang, who knew the city would eventually fall, but wanted to make a strong gesture in order to secure Western military aid for China. By December, the capital city of [[Nanjing]] had fallen to the Japanese and Chiang moved the government inland to Chongqing. Devoid of economic and industrial resources, Chiang could not counter-attack and held off the rest of the war preserving whatever territory he still controlled, though his strategy succeeded in stretching Japanese supply lines and bogging down Japanese soldiers in the vast Chinese interior who would otherwise have been sent to conquer southeast Asia and the Pacific islands.
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[[Image:Cairo conference.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Chiang, [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]], and [[Winston Churchill]] met at the Cairo Conference in 1943.]]
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With the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor]] and the opening of the Pacific War, China became one of the [[Allied Powers]]. During and after [[World War II]], Chiang and his American-educated wife, Soong May-ling, "Madame Chiang Kai-shek," held the unwavering support of the [[United States]] [[China Lobby]] which saw in them the hope of a [[Christian]] and [[Democracy|democratic]] China.  
  
[[Image:Cairo conference.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Chiang, [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], and [[Winston Churchill]] met at the Cairo Conference in 1943.]]
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Chiang's strategy during the War opposed the strategies of both [[Mao Zedong]] and the [[United States]]. The U.S. regarded Chiang as an important ally able to help shorten the war by engaging the Japanese occupiers in China. Chiang, in contrast, used powerful associates such as H.H. Kung (1861-1967), the banker and politician, in [[Hong Kong]], to build the Republic of China army for certain conflict with the communist forces after the end of World War II. This fact was not understood well in the United States. The U.S. liaison officer, General [[Joseph Stilwell]], correctly deduced that Chiang's strategy was to accumulate munitions for future civil war rather than fight the Japanese, but Stilwell was unable to convince [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] of this and precious Lend-Lease armaments continued to be allocated to the Kuomintang. Chiang was recognized as one of the "Big Four" Allied leaders along with Roosevelt, [[Winston Churchill|Churchill]], and [[Josef Stalin|Stalin]] and traveled to attend the Cairo Conference in November 1943. His wife acted as his translator and adviser.
  
Chiang's strategy during the War opposed the strategies of both [[Mao Zedong]] and the United States.  The U.S. regarded Chiang as an important ally able to help shorten the war by engaging the Japanese occupiers in China.  Chiang, in contrast, used powerful associates such as [[H. H. Kung]] in [[Hong Kong]] to build the ROC army for certain conflict with the [[Communist Party of China|communist]] forces after the end of WWII.  This fact was not understood well in the United States.  The U.S. liaison officer, General [[Joseph Stilwell]], correctly deduced that Chiang's strategy was to accumulate munitions for future civil war rather than fight the Japanese, but Stilwell was unable to convince [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] of this and precious [[Lend-Lease]] armaments continued to be allocated to the Kuomintang. Chiang was recognized as one of the "Big Four" Allied leaders along with Roosevelt, [[Winston Churchill|Churchill]], and [[Josef Stalin|Stalin]] and travelled to attend the [[Cairo Conference]] in November 1943. His wife acted as his translator and adviser.
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===Losing China===
  
=="Losing China"==
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The [[Japan]]ese surrender in 1945 did not bring peace to China, rather it allowed the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek and the Communists under [[Mao Zedong]] to resume their fight against each other. Chiang's Chonqing government was ill-equipped to reassert its authority in eastern China. It was able to reclaim the coastal cities with American assistance, and sometimes those of former puppet and Japanese troops, a deeply unpopular move. The countryside in the north was already largely under the control of the Communists, whose forces were better motivated and disciplined than those of the KMT.
[[Image:1945 chiang-mao.jpg|thumb|250px|Chiang and Mao met in the wartime capital of Chongqing to toast to the Chinese victory over Japan, but their shaky alliance was short-lived.]]
 
  
When [[Japanese Instrument of Surrender|Japan surrendered]] in 1945, Chiang's Chonqing government was ill-equipped to reassert its authority in eastern China. It was able to reclaim the coastal cities with American assistance, and sometimes those of former puppet and Japanese troops, a deeply unpopular move.  The countryside in the north was already largely under the control of the Communists, whose forces were better motivated and disciplined than those of the KMT.
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The [[United States]] had encouraged peace talks between Chiang and Communist leader [[Mao Zedong]], in Chongqing. Distrustful of each other and of the United States' professed neutrality, they soon resorted to all-out war. The U.S. suspended aid to Chiang Kai-shek for much of the period of 1946 to 1948, in the midst of fighting against the People's Liberation Army, led by Mao Zedong.  
  
Following the war, the United States had encouraged peace talks between Chiang and Communist leader [[Mao Zedong]] in Chongqing.  Distrustful of each other and of the United States' professed neutrality, they soon resorted to [[Chinese Civil War|all-out war]]. The U.S. suspended aid to Chiang Kai-shek for much of the period of 1946 to 1948, in the midst of fighting against the [[People's Liberation Army]] led by [[Mao Zedong]]. Though Chiang had achieved status abroad as a world leader, his government was deteriorating with corruption and inflation. The war had severely weakened the Nationalists both in terms of resources and popularity while the Communists were strengthened by aid from [[Stalin]], and guerrilla organizations extending throughout rural areas. The Nationalists initially had superiority in arms and men, but their lack of popularity and morale, and apparent disorganization soon allowed the Communists to gain the upper hand.
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Though Chiang had achieved status abroad as a world leader, his government was deteriorating with corruption and inflation. The war had severely weakened the Nationalists both in terms of resources and popularity while the Communists were strengthened by aid from [[Josef Stalin|Stalin]] and guerrilla organizations extending throughout rural areas. At the same time, with the influx of Western money and military aid, Chiang's high-level Kuomintang officers began to grow complacent and corrupt. Seeking to increase his party's strenght, Chiang increased ties to his country's wealthy landlords. This resulted in the alienation of the peasant population, which represented more than 90 percent of Chinese inhabitants. By the end of World War II, the communists had become formidable rivals, due to their large numbers and the strength of their seemingly logical ideology.  
  
Meanwhile a new [[Constitution of the Republic of China|Constitution]] promulgated in 1947], and Chiang was elected by the [[National Assembly of the Republic of China|National Assembly]] to be President. This marked the beginning of the democratic constitutional government period in KMT political orthodoxy, but the Communists refused to recognize the new Constitution and its government as legitimate.
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Meanwhile a new [[Constitution]] promulgated in 1947, and Chiang was elected by the National Assembly to be President. This marked the beginning of the democratic constitutional government period in KMT political orthodoxy, but the Communists refused to recognize the new Constitution and its government as legitimate.
  
Chiang resigned as President on January 21, 1949, as KMT forces suffered massive losses against the communists. Vice President [[Li Tsung-jen]] took over as Acting President, but his relationship with Chiang soon deteriorated, as Chiang still acted as if he were in power, and Li was forced into exile in the United States under a medical excuse (under Chiang's direction, Li was later formally impeached by the [[Control Yuan]]). In the early morning of December 10, 1949, Communist troops laid siege to [[Chengdu]], the last KMT occupied city in [[mainland China]], where Chiang Kai-shek and his son Chiang Ching-kuo directed the defense at the [[Chengdu Central Military Academy]]. The [[aircraft]] ''May-ling'' evacuated them to Taiwan on the same day, forever removing them from the Chinese mainland.
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Chiang resigned as President on January 21, 1949, as KMT forces suffered massive losses against the communists. Vice President Li Tsung-jen took over as Acting President, but his relationship with Chiang soon deteriorated, as Chiang continued to act as if he were in power, and Li was forced into exile in the United States. Under Chiang's direction, Li was later formally impeached by the Control Yuan.  
  
==Presidency in Taiwan==
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After four years of civil war, Chiang and the nationalists were forced to flee mainland China in the early morning hours of December 10, 1949, when Communist troops laid siege to Chengdu, the last KMT occupied city in mainland China, where Chiang Kai-shek and his son Chiang Ching-kuo directed the defense at the Chengdu Central Military Academy.  
Chiang moved his government to [[Taipei]], [[Taiwan]], where he formally resumed his duties as president on March 1, 1950.  Chiang was reelected by the National Assembly to be the President of the ROC on May 20, 1954 and later on in 1960, 1966, and 1972.  In this position he continued to claim sovereignty over all of China. In the context of the Cold War, most of the [[Western world]] recognized this position and the ROC represented [[China in the United Nations]] and other [[international organization]]s until the 1970s.  
 
  
Despite the democratic constitution, the government under Chiang was a [[political repression|repressive]] and [[authoritarianism|authoritarian]] [[single-party state]] consisting almost completely of non-Taiwanese [[mainlander]]s; the "Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion" greatly enhanced executive power and the goal of "retaking the mainland" allowed the KMT to maintain its monopoly on power and to outlaw opposition parties. The government's official line for these provisions stemmed from the claim that emergency provisions were necessary, since the Communists and KMT were still technically under a state of war, without any cease-fire signed, after Chiang retreated to Taiwan. His government sought to impose [[Chinese nationalism]] and repressed the local culture, such as by forbidding the use of [[Taiwanese (linguistics)|Taiwanese]] in mass media broadcasts or in schools. The government permitted free debate within the confines of the legislature, but jailed dissidents who were either labelled as supporters of [[Communist Party of China|Chinese communism]] or [[Taiwan independence]]. His son [[Chiang Ching-kuo]] and Chiang Ching-kuo's successor [[Lee Teng-hui]] would in the [1980s and 1990s increase native Taiwanese representation in the government and loosen the many authoritarian controls of the Chiang Kai-shek era.
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They were evacuated to [[Taiwan]], where they established a government-in-exile and dreamed of retaking the mainland, never foreseeing that it was to be their last time on their home soil.
  
Since new elections could not be held in their Communist-occupied constituencies, the members of the KMT-dominated National Assembly, [[Legislative Yuan]], and [[Control Yuan]] held their posts indefinitely. It was under the Temporary Provisions that Chiang was able to bypass term limits to remain as president. He was reelected (unopposed) by the National Assembly as president four times in 1954, 1960, 1966, and 1972.
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===Presidency in Taiwan===
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By 1950, Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalist government had been driven from the mainland to the island of Taiwan (Formosa) and U.S. aid had been cut off. He was elected by the National Assembly to be the President of the Republic of China on March 1, 1950. In this position he continued to claim sovereignty over all of China and until his death in 1975, he ruled "Nationalist China," developing it into an [[Asia]]n economic power.  
  
Defeated by the Communists, Chiang [[purge]]d members of the KMT previously accused of corruption, and major figures in the previous mainland government such as [[H.H. Kung]] and [[T.V. Soong]] exiled themselves to the United States. Though the government was politically authoritarian and controlled key industries, it encouraged economic development, especially in the export sector. A sweeping Land Reform Act, as well as American foreign aid during the 1950's laid the foundation for Taiwan's economic success, becoming one of the [[East Asian Tigers]].  
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In the context of the [[Cold War]], most of the Western world recognized this position and the ROC represented China in the [[United Nations]] and other international organizations until the 1970s.  
  
When the uniform numbers of the [[National Identification Cards of the Republic of China]] ([[:zh:中華民國國民身分證|中華民國國民身分證]]) started to be coded in 1965, the bearer of the number 1 ID Card was Chiang Kai-shek, coded Y10000001.
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On Taiwan, Chiang took firm command and established a virtual [[dictatorship]]. Despite the democratic constitution, the government under Chiang was a politically repressive and authoritarian single-party state, consisting almost completely of non-Taiwanese mainlanders; the "Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion" greatly enhanced executive power and the goal of "retaking the mainland" allowed the KMT to maintain its monopoly on power and to outlaw opposition parties.
  
==Death and legacy==
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Chiang's government sought to impose Chinese [[nationalism]] and repressed the local [[culture]], such as by forbidding the use of the Taiwanese language in mass media broadcasts or in schools. The government permitted free debate within the confines of the legislature, but jailed dissidents who were either labeled as supporters of the Chinese Communist Party or of Taiwan independence.  
[[Image:Cihu Chiang Kai-shek tomb (left).JPG|300px|left|thumb|Chiang's body was not buried in the traditional Chinese manner but entombed in his former residence in [[Cihhu]] in respect for his wish to be buried in his native Fenghua.]]
 
  
In [[1975]], 26 years after Chiang fled to Taiwan, he died in [[Taipei]] at the age of 87. He had suffered a major [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] and [[pneumonia]] in the months before and died from [[renal failure]] aggravated with advanced cardiac malfunction at 23:50 on [[April 5]].
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He reorganized his military forces with the help of U.S. aid, which had resumed with the start of the [[Korean war]], and then instituted limited democratic political reforms. He continually promised reconquest of the mainland and periodically landed Nationalist [[Guerrilla war|guerrillas]] on the China coast, embarrassing the United States in doing so. Though he was one of the few leaders to send forces to [[Vietnam]] to support the U.S. war effort, he was never able to accomplish reunification in his own homeland. His international position was weakened considerably in 1971, when the United Nations expelled his regime and accepted the Communists as the sole legitimate government of China.  
  
A month of mourning was declared during which the Taiwanese people were asked to put on black armbands. Televisions ran in black-and-white while all banquets or celebrations were forbidden. On the mainland, however, Chiang's death was met with little apparent mourning and newspapers gave the brief headline "Chiang Kai-shek Has Died." Chiang's corpse was put in a copper coffin and temporarily interred at his favorite residence in [[Cihhu]], [[Dasi, Taiwan|Dasi]], [[Taoyuan County (Taiwan)|Taoyuan County]]. When his son [[Chiang Ching-kuo]] died in 1988, he was also entombed in a separate [[mausoleum]] in nearby [[Touliao]] (頭寮). The hope was to have both buried at their birthplace in Fenghua once the mainland was recovered. In [[2004]], [[Chiang Fang-liang]], the widow of Chiang Ching-kuo, asked that both father and son be buried at [[Wuchih Mountain Military Cemetery]] in [[Sijhih]], [[Taipei County]]. The state funeral ceremony is planned to take place during the spring of [[2006]]. Chiang Fang-liang and Soong May-ling had agreed in 1997 that the former leaders be first buried but still be moved to mainland China in the event of reunification.
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Since new elections could not be held in their Communist-occupied constituencies, the members of the KMT-dominated National Assembly held their posts indefinitely. It was under the Temporary Provisions that Chiang was able to bypass term limits to remain as president. He was reelected, unopposed, by the National Assembly as president four times in 1954, 1960, 1966, and 1972.
  
[[Image:CKS Memorial Hall.jpg|thumb|right|270px|Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei]]
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Defeated by the Communists, Chiang purged members of the KMT previously accused of corruption, and major figures in the previous mainland government such as H.H. Kung and T.V. Soong (1894-1971) exiled themselves to the United States. Though the government was politically authoritarian and controlled key industries, it encouraged [[Economy|economic]] development, especially in the export sector. A sweeping Land Reform Act, as well as American foreign aid during the 1950's laid the foundation for Taiwan's economic success, becoming one of the "East Asian Tigers."
[[Image:ChiangKai-shek MemorialHall MainChamber.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The [[Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall]] was opened in 1980 on the fifth anniversary of Chiang's death.]]
 
  
Chiang was succeeded as President by Vice President [[Yen Chia-kan]] and as KMT party leader by his son [[Chiang Ching-kuo]], who retired Chiang Kai-shek's title of Director-General and instead assumed the position of Chairman.Yen Chia-kan's presidency was mainly symbolic, with real power held by [[Premier of the Republic of China|Premier]] Chiang Ching-kuo, who became President after Yen's term ended three years later.
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In 1971, the [[United Nations]] passed '''Resolution 2758''' which restored the rights of the People's Republic of China and recognized it as the only lawful representative of China to the United Nations. With Mainland China's entry into the UN, Taiwan lost its seat and representation. Since that time, Taiwan has sought, to no avail, a permanent seat, citing the UN's founding on the ''principles of universality and self-determination''.<ref>''New Tawain,'' [http://www.taiwandc.org/un-2001.htm What does Resolution 2758 say?] Retrieved January 28, 2008.</ref>
  
Chiang Kai-shek's current popularity in Taiwan is sharply divided among political lines, enjoying greater support among KMT voters and the mainlander population. However, he is largely unpopular among DPP supporters and voters.  Since the democratization of the [[1990s]], his picture began to be removed from public buildings and [[new Taiwan dollar|currency]], while many of his statues have been taken down; in sharp contrast to his son Ching-kuo and to [[Sun Yat-sen]], his memory is rarely invoked by current political parties, including the Kuomintang.
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==Death and legacy==
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[[Image:Cihu Chiang Kai-shek tomb (left).JPG|275px|thumb|Chiang's body was not buried in the traditional Chinese manner but entombed in his former residence in Cihhu in respect for his wish to be buried in his native Fenghua.]]
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On April 5, 1975, 26 years after Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan, he died in Taipei at the age of 87. He had suffered a major [[heart attack]] and [[pneumonia]] in the months before, and died from renal failure aggravated by advanced cardiac malfunction.  
  
==Names==
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A month of mourning was declared during which the Taiwanese people wore black armbands. Televisions ran in black-and-white while all banquets or celebrations were forbidden. On the mainland, however, Chiang's death was met with little apparent mourning and newspapers gave the brief headline "Chiang Kai-shek Has Died."
  
Like many other Chinese historical figures, Chiang Kai-shek used several names throughout his life. That inscribed in the genealogical records of his family is '''Jiang Zhoutai''' (蔣周泰). This so-called "register name" (譜名) is the one under which his extended relatives knew him, and the one he used in formal occasions, such as when he got married. Traditionally, the register name was not used in intercourse with people outside of the family, and in fact the concept of real or original name is not as clear-cut in China as it is in the Western world.
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Chiang's corpse was put in a [[copper]] coffin and temporarily interred at his favorite residence in Cihhu, Dasi, Taoyuan County. When his son Chiang Ching-kuo died in 1988, he was also entombed in a separate mausoleum in nearby Touliao. The hope was to have both buried at their birthplace in Fenghua once the mainland was recovered. In 2004, Chiang Fang-liang, the widow of Chiang Ching-kuo, asked that both father and son be buried at Wuchih Mountain Military Cemetery in Sijhih, Taipei County. Chiang Fang-liang and Soong May-ling had agreed, in 1997, that the former leaders be first buried but still be moved to mainland China in the event of reunification.
  
Traditionally, Chinese families waited a number of years before officially naming their offspring. In the meantime, they used a "milk name" (乳名), given to the infant shortly after his birth and known only to the close family. Thus, the actual name that Chiang Kai-shek received at birth was '''Jiang Ruiyuan''' (蔣瑞元).
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Chiang's popularity in Taiwan is sharply divided among political lines, enjoying greater support among KMT voters and the mainlander population. However, he is largely unpopular among DPP supporters and voters. Since the democratization of the 1990s, his picture began to be removed from public buildings and Taiwanese currency, while many of his statues have been taken down; in sharp contrast to his son Ching-kuo and to Sun Yat-sen, his memory is rarely invoked by current political parties, including the Kuomintang.
  
In [[1903]], the 16-year-old Chiang Kai-shek went to [[Ningbo]] to be a student, and he chose a "school name" (學名). This was actually the formal name of a person, used by older people to address him, and the one he would use the most in the first decades of his life (as the person grew older, younger generations would have to use one of the [[courtesy name]]s instead). (Colloquially, the school name is called "big name" (大名), whereas the "milk name" is known as the "small name" (小名).) The school name that Chiang Kai-shek chose for himself was Zhiqing (志清 - meaning "purity of intentions"). For the next fifteen years or so, Chiang Kai-shek was known as '''Jiang Zhiqing'''. This is the name under which [[Sun Yat-sen]] knew him when Chiang joined the republicans in [[Guangzhou]] in the 1910s.
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Chiang Kai-shek is well-remembered as the leader of the anti-Communists and invested many years of his life in the pursuit of its overthrow. However, what he had initially pursued was the modernization of China. He thus joined the revolutionary group of Sun Yat-sen, which believed the modernization of China could not be accomplished under the Qing regime.  
[[Image:Cihu_President_Chiang_Mausoleum_entrance.JPG|thumb|right|300px|image from Chiang Kai-shek President Chiang Mausoleum entrance]]
 
In [[1912]], when Chiang Kai-shek was in [[Japan]], he started to use '''Jiang Jieshi''' (蔣介石) as a pen name for the articles that he published in a Chinese magazine he founded (''Voice of the Army'' - 軍聲). Jieshi soon became his [[Chinese courtesy name|courtesy name]] (字). Some think the name was chosen from the classic Chinese book the ''[[Book of Changes]]''; other note that the first character of his courtesy name is also the first character of the courtesy name of his brother and other male relatives on the same generation line, while the second character of his courtesy name ''shi'' (石 - meaning "stone") suggests the second character of his "register name" ''tai'' (泰 - the famous [[Mount Tai]] of China). Courtesy names in China often bore a connection with the personal name of the person. As the courtesy name is the name used by people of the same generation to address the person, Chiang Kai-shek soon became known under this new name. (''Jieshi'' is the [[pinyin]] romanization of the name, based on [[Standard Mandarin|Mandarin]], but the common romanized rendering is ''Kai-shek'' which is in [[Standard Cantonese|Cantonese romanization]]. As the republicans were based in Guangzhou (a Cantonese speaking area), Chiang Kai-shek became known by Westerners under the Cantonese romanization of his courtesy name, while the family name as known in English seems to be the Mandarin pronunciation of his Chinese family name, transliterated in [[Wade-Giles]]). In mainland China, ''Jiang Jieshi'' is the name under which he is commonly known today.
 
  
Sometime in [[1917]] or [[1918]], as Chiang became close to [[Sun Yat-sen]], he changed his name from Jiang Zhiqing to '''Jiang Zhongzheng''' (蔣中正). By adopting the name Zhongzheng ("central uprightness"), he was choosing a name very similar to the name of Sun Yat-sen, who was (and still is) known among Chinese as Zhongshan (中山 - meaning "central mountain"), thus establishing a link between the two. The meaning of uprightness, rectitude, or orthodoxy, implied by his name, also positioned him as the legitimate heir of Sun Yat-sen and his ideas. Not surprisingly, the Chinese Communists always rejected the use of this name, and it is not well known in [[mainland China]]. However, it was readily accepted by members of the [[Kuomintang|Nationalist Party]], and is the name under which Chiang Kai-shek is still officially known in [[Taiwan]]. Often, the name is shortened to Zhongzheng only (Chung-cheng in [[Wade-Giles]]), and passengers arriving at the [[Chiang Kai-shek International Airport | Taipei airport]] are greeted by signs in Chinese welcoming them to the "Zhongzheng International Airport." Similarly, the largest monument in [[Taipei]], the [[Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall]] is officially in Chinese called the "Zhongzheng Memorial Hall."
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Fearing that China would become a colony of a foreign power, Chiang helped establish the Kuomintang, which aimed at preparing the modern army to unite China and overthrow the warlords. This had a great impact on his nation, establishing organizations in businesses and schools. Such was the impact of Chiang's revolutionary theory on the Chinese population. The Kuomintang brought about the end of imperialism, overthrew the warlords, and targeted corruption of officers as the mainframe of his inner policy.  
  
His name also used to be officially written in Taiwan as "The Late President (space) Lord Chiang" (先總統 蔣公), where the one-character-wide space showed respect; this practice lost its popularity after Taiwan's democratization in the 1990s. However, he is still known as ''Lord Chiang'' (without the title or space), along with the similarly positive name ''Jiang Zhongzheng'', in Taiwan.
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Chiang's ideals and goals included, as he frequently referred to, were; "establishment of a government of integrity," "organization of the people's army," and "indemnify the rights of agricultural and industrial organizations." Unfortunately such goals were not realized and corruption seeped into the party.  
  
Chiang was also nicknamed "the Gimo" (short for "Generalissimo") by some English-speaking foreigners, especially by Americans during the [[World War II|Second World War]].
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Chiang Kai-shek, though his ideals ultimately failed, was a man of noble ideals who loved his people and lived his life seeking for a better homeland for them.
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[[Image:CKS Memorial Hall.jpg|thumb|170px|Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei]]
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[[Image:ChiangKai-shek MemorialHall MainChamber.jpg|thumb|170px|The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, opened in 1980 on the fifth anniversary of Chiang's death]]
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[[Image:Cihu_President_Chiang_Mausoleum_entrance.JPG|thumb|170px|Entrance to the President Chiang Mausoleum]]
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[[Image:Cihu Chiang residence.JPG|thumb|170px|The entrance to the former Chiang residence is flanked by guards from the [[Republic of China Army|ROC Army]].]]
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</center>
  
==See also==
+
==Notes==
* [[History of the Republic of China]]
+
<references/>
* [[Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Song]]
 
  
==Further reading==
+
==References==
*Crozier, Brian. ''The Man Who Lost China'': ISBN 068414686X
+
* ''The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition''. [http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-ChiangKa.html Chiang Kai-shek.] Retrieved January 28, 2008.
*Fenby, Jonathan. ''Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek and the China he lost'': 2003, The Free Press, ISBN 0-7432-3144-9
+
* Crozier, Brian. ''The Man Who Lost China.'' New York: Scribner, 1976. ISBN 068414686X.
*Seagrave, Sterling. ''The Soong Dynasty'': 1996, Corgi Books, ISBN 0-552-14108-9
+
* ''Discovering China''. [http://library.thinkquest.org/26469/movers-and-shakers/chiang.html Movers & Shakers: Chiang Kaishek (1887-1975).] Retrieved January 28, 2008.
 +
* Fenby, Jonathan. ''Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek and the China he Lost.'' New York: The Free Press, 2003. ISBN 0743231449.
 +
* ''New Taiwan''. [http://www.taiwandc.org/un-2001.htm What does Resolution 2758 say?] Retrieved January 28, 2008.
 +
* Reese, Lori. [http://www.time.com/time/asia/asia/magazine/1999/990823/cks.html China's Christian Warrior.] ''Time Inc''. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
 +
* Seagrave, Sterling. ''The Soong Dynasty.'' New York: Harper & Row, 1985. ISBN 0060153083.
 +
* ''Who2, LLC''. [http://who2.com/ask/chiangkaishek.html Chiang Kai-shek.] Retrieved January 28, 2008.
 +
* Wolf, Mur. [http://www.wellesley.edu/Anniversary/chiang.html Madame Chiang Kai-shek.] ''Wellesley College''. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
 +
All links retrieved December 9, 2023.
 +
* [http://www.taiwandocuments.org/surrender03.htm Order of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek supplementing the Act of Surrender] by Japan on September 9 1945
  
* [http://www.president.gov.tw/1_roc_intro/e_xpresident/e_b_cha.html ROC Government Biography ]
 
* [http://www.asiawind.com/forums/read.php?f=3&i=138515&t=138515 Adoption of Chiang Kai-Shek (originally surnamed Zheng) into the Chiang Family]
 
* [http://www.taiwandocuments.org/surrender03.htm Order of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek supplementing the Act of Surrender] by Japan on [[September 9]] [[1945]]
 
* [http://www.time.com/time/poy2000/archive/1937.html?cnn=yes 1937 Man and Wife of the Year]
 
* [http://www.xikou114.com/jjs/js1.asp Family tree of his descendants] (in [[Simplified Chinese]])
 
* [http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/av/sou_sig/sight01_2.htm 1966 GIO Biographical video]
 
* [http://www.cksmh.gov.tw/english/index.htm Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall]
 
* [http://gpwd.mnd.gov.tw/web2/web2_a/music/mp3_01/04.mp3 "The Memorial Song of Late President Chiang Kai-shek" (Ministry of National Defence of ROC)]
 
* [http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWchaing.htm Chiang Kai-shek Biography] From Spartacus Educational
 
* [http://www.warbirdforum.com/avg.htm Annals of the Flying Tigers]
 
 
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[[Category:Field Marshals]]
 
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[[Category:Politicians of the Republic of China]]
 
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Latest revision as of 20:57, 9 December 2023


Chiang Kai-shek

Chiang Kai-shek (October 31, 1887 – April 5, 1975) was one of the most important political leaders in twentieth century Chinese history, serving between Sun Yat-sen and Mao Zedong. He was a military and political leader who assumed the leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT) after the death of Sun Yat-sen in 1925. He commanded the Northern Expedition to unify China against the warlords and emerged victorious in 1928, as the overall leader of the Republic of China (ROC). Chiang led China in the Second Sino-Japanese War, during which time his international prominence grew.

During the Chinese Civil War (1926–1949), Chiang attempted to eradicate the Chinese Communists but ultimately failed, forcing his government to retreat to Taiwan (The Republic of China) where he continued serving as the President of the Republic and Director-General of the KMT for the remainder of his life. Taiwan occupied China's Permanent Seat in the United Nations Security Council until 1971, when UN Resolution 2758 was adopted. This resolution recognized for the first time the Government of the People's Republic of China (Mainland China) as the legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations. With this resolution, the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek's government-in-exile were expelled from the UN.

Chiang, a fervent patriot, had the adaptability to switch from political to military leader and back again. His original goal was the modernization of China, yet the constancy of war during his tenure dictated his effectiveness.

Chiang Kai-shek's legacy was incomplete. Though he was personally ascetic, corruption flourished in the KMT under him. Favored by Western democracies, in contrast he imposed martial law on Taiwan. He attempted to unify his divided nation, and to stabilize and develop it as well. Though he failed in a number of respects, he left behind a prosperous economy that grew into a genuine democracy. Chiang is known for his vigorous anti-communist stance, having founded the World Anti-Communist League (WACL). Across the Taiwan Straits on the mainland, more than one million Chinese were murdered during the first cultural revolution of 1949, and some estimates place the number as more than 27,000,000 deaths from starvation in the famine which lasted from from 1959 through 1961. The second Cultural Revolution, equally devastating to human freedom of expression, began in 1966 and ended in 1976, soon after Mao's death. It was this needless suffering and loss of life under communism that motivated Chiang to fight it throughout his adult life.

Personal life

On October 31, 1887, Chiang Kai-shek was born in the town of Xikou, Fenghua County, Ningbo Prefecture, Zhejiang. However, his ancestral home, a concept important in Chinese society, was the town of Heqiao in Jiangsu Province, not far from the shores of the famous Lake Taihu.

His parents were Chiang Zhaocong and Wang Caiyu, part of an upper-middle class family of farmers and salt merchants.

Youth and education

Chiang attended private school, where he learned the Chinese classics. Both his father and his grandfather died while he was young. He is said to have adored his mother even more for that, describing her as the "embodiment of Confucian virtues."

At that time in Chinese society, fatherless families were looked down upon and often taken advantage of. Tolerant of the hardships they faced following his father's death, the young Chiang developed an enthusiasm for learning. He continued his classical studies until the age of 17, when he enrolled in a modern school. Following that, he attended school at Ningbo, where he studied current affairs and western law.

During this time his attentions turned to Sun Yat-sen, a revolutionary and political leader of the time (today known as the "father of modern China"). This interest eventually led him towards his path of leadership.

Chiang grew up in an era in which military defeats and civil wars among warlords had left China destabilized and in debt, and he decided to pursue a military career to save his country. He began his military education at the Baoding Military Academy in 1906. He began attending a preparatory school for Chinese students, Rikugun Shikan Gakko in Japan in 1907. There, he was influenced by his compatriots to support the revolutionary movement to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and to set up a Chinese Republic. He befriended fellow Zhejiang native Chen Qimei, and, in 1908, Chen brought Chiang into the Tongmenghui, a precursor organization of the Kuomintang. Chiang served in the Imperial Japanese Army from 1909 to 1911. In 1923, he was dispatched to Moscow to study military techniques, returning as the first commandant of the Whampoa Military Academy in 1924, an institution that provided the most talented generals of both the Kuomintang and the Communist armies.

Early marriages

In a marriage arranged by their parents, Chiang was wed to fellow villager Mao Fumei (1882–1939). Chiang and Mao had a son Chiang Ching-Kuo and a daughter Chien-hua. Mao died in the Second Sino-Japanese War during a bombardment.

While married to Mao, Chiang adopted two concubines:

  • He married Yao Yecheng (1889-1972) in 1912. Yao raised the adopted Wei-kuo. She fled to Taiwan and died in Taipei.
  • He married Chen Jieru (1906-1971) in December 1921. Chen had a daughter in 1924, named Yaoguang, who later adopted her mother's surname. Chen's autobiography disclaims the idea that she was a concubine, claiming that by the time she married Chiang, he had already been divorced from Mao, making her his wife. Chen lived in Shanghai. She later moved to Hong Kong, where she lived until her death.

Madame Chiang Kai-shek (Mayling Soong)

In 1920, Chiang met Mayling Soong, who was American-educated and a devout Christian. A Buddhist, Chiang was eleven years her elder. Married, Chiang nonetheless proposed marriage to Mayling, much to her mother's objections. Determined to make Mayling his wife, he eventually provided proof of divorce and made a committed conversion to Christianity. He was baptized in 1929.

Madame Chiang Kai-shek was a crucial partner to her husband in his public affairs, acting as his English translator, secretary, adviser and an influential propagandist for the cause of nationalism. Understanding the Western mind and being a skilled negotiator, in February 1943, she became the first Chinese national, and the second woman, to ever address a joint session of the U.S. House and Senate, making the case for strong U.S. support of China in its war with Japan.

Following her husband's death in 1975, she returned to the United States, residing in Lattington, New York. Madame Chiang Kai-shek passed away on October 23, 2003, at the age of 105.

Public life

For several years, Chian Kai-shek traveled between Japan and China, furthering both his military and political training. When revolution in his homeland became evident in 1911, he returned to China where he devoted his life seeking to stabilize and develop the nation, though at times he did this from a point of exile.

Rise to power

With the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising in 1911, Chiang Kai-shek returned to China to fight in the revolution as an artillery officer. He served in the revolutionary forces, leading a regiment in Shanghai under his friend and mentor Chen Qimei. The Xinhai Revolution was ultimately successful in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and Chiang became a founding member of the Kuomintang.

After takeover of the Republican government by Yuan Shikai and the failed Second Revolution, Chiang, like his Kuomintang comrades, divided his time between exile in Japan and haven in Shanghai's foreign concession areas. In Shanghai, Chiang also cultivated ties with the criminal underworld dominated by the notorious Green Gang and its leader Du Yuesheng. In 1915, Chen Qimei, Sun Yat-sen's chief lieutenant, was assassinated by agents of Yuan Shikai and Chiang succeeded him as the leader of the Chinese Revolutionary Party in Shanghai.

Chiang Kai-shek was appointed by Sun Yat-sen as Commandant of the Whampoa Military Academy.

In 1917, Sun Yat-sen moved his base of operations to Guangzhou and Chiang joined him the following year. Sun, who at the time was largely sidelined and without arms or money, was expelled from Guangzhou in 1918 and exiled again to Shanghai, but recovered with mercenary help in 1920. However, a rift had developed between Sun, who sought to militarily unify China under the KMT, and Guangdong Governor Chen Jiongming, who wanted to implement a federalist system with Guangdong as a model province.

On June 16, 1923, Chen attempted to expel Sun from Guangzhou and had his residence shelled. Sun and his wife Song Qingling narrowly escaped under heavy machine gun fire, only to be rescued by gunboats under the direction of Chiang Kai-shek. The incident earned Chiang Kai-shek Sun Yat-sen's lasting trust.

Sun regained control in Guangzhou in early 1924, with the help of mercenaries from Yunnan, and accepted aid from the Comintern. He then undertook a reform of the Kuomintang and established a revolutionary government aimed at unifying China under the KMT. That same year, Sun sent Chiang Kai-shek to Moscow to spend three months studying the Soviet political and military system. Chiang left his eldest son Ching-kuo in Russia, who would not return until 1937.

Chiang returned to Guangzhou and in 1924, was made Commandant of the Whampoa Military Academy. The early years at Whampoa allowed Chiang to cultivate a cadre of young officers loyal to him and by 1925, Chiang's proto-army was scoring victories against local rivals in Guangdong province. Here he also first met and worked with a young Zhou Enlai, who was selected to be Whampoa's Political Commissar. However, Chiang was deeply critical of the Kuomintang-Communist Party United Front, suspicious that the Communists would take over the KMT from within.

With Sun Yat-sen's death in 1925, a power vacuum developed in the KMT. A power struggle ensued between Chiang, who leaned towards the right wing of the KMT, and Sun Yat-sen's close comrade-in-arms Wang Jingwei, who leaned towards the left wing of the party. Though Chiang ranked relatively low in the civilian hierarchy, and Wang had succeeded Sun to power as Chairman of the National Government, Chiang's deft political maneuvering eventually allowed him to emerge victorious.

Chiang made gestures to cement himself as the successor of Sun Yat-sen. In a pairing of much political significance, on December 1, 1927, Chiang married Soong May-ling, the younger sister of Soong Ching-ling, Sun Yat-sen's widow, and thus positioned himself as Sun Yat-sen's brother-in-law. In Beijing, Chiang paid homage to Sun Yat-sen and had his body moved to the capital, Nanjing, to be enshrined in the grand mausoleum.

Chiang, who became Commander-in-Chief of the National Revolutionary Forces in 1925, launched in July 1926, the Northern Expedition, a military campaign to defeat the warlords controlling northern China and unify the country under the KMT. He led the victorious Nationalist army into Hankou, Shanghai, and Nanjing. After taking Nanjing in March (and with Shanghai under the control of his close ally General Bai), Chiang was forced to halt his campaign and decided first clean house and break with the leftists. This was the beginning of the long civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communists.

On April 12, 1927, Chiang began a swift attack on thousands of suspected Communists. He then established National Government in Nanking, supported by conservative allies (including Hu Hanmin). The communists were purged from the KMT and the Soviet advisers were expelled. Wang Jingwei's National Government was unpopular with the masses, and was weak militarily and was soon overtaken. Eventually Wang and his leftist party surrendered to Chiang and join him in Nanking.

Chiang's actions earned him the support and financial backing of the Shanghai business community, and maintained him the loyalty of his Whampoa officers, many of whom hailed from Hunan elites and were discontented by the land redistribution Wang Jingwei was enacting in the area.

Chiang established his own National Government in Nanjing, supported by his conservative allies. By the end of 1927, he controlled the Kuomintang, and in 1928, he became head of the Nationalist government at Nanjing and generalissimo of all Chinese Nationalist forces.

From that point on, he exercised virtually uninterrupted power as leader of the Nationalist government. The warlord capital of Beijing was taken in June 1928, and in December, the Manchurian warlord Chang Hsueh-liang pledged allegiance to Chiang's government.

Tutelage over China

Chiang Kai-shek gained nominal control of China, but his party was "too weak to lead and too strong to overthrow." In 1928, Chiang was named Generalissimo of all Chinese forces and Chairman of the National Government, a post he held until 1932 and later from 1943 until 1948. According to KMT political orthodoxy, this period thus began the period of "political tutelage" under the dictatorship of the Kuomintang.

The decade of 1928 to 1937, was one of consolidation and accomplishment for Chiang's government. Some of the harsh aspects of foreign concessions and privileges in China were moderated through diplomacy. The government acted energetically to modernize the legal and penal systems, stabilize prices, amortize debts, reform the banking and currency systems, build railroads and highways, improve public health facilities, legislate against narcotics-trafficking, and augment industrial and agricultural production. Great strides also were made in education and, in an effort to help unify Chinese society the New Life Movement was launched to stress Confucian moral values and personal discipline. Mandarin was promoted as a standard tongue. The widespread establishment of communications facilities further encouraged a sense of unity and pride among the people.

These successes, however, were met with constant upheavals with need of further political and military consolidation. Though much of the urban areas were now under the control of his party, the countryside still lay under the influence of severely weakened yet undefeated warlords and communists. Chiang fought with most of his warlord allies. One of these northern rebellions against the warlords Yen Hsi-shan and Feng Yuxiang in 1930 almost bankrupted the government and cost almost 250,000 casualties.

When Hu Han-min established a rival government in Guangzhou in 1931, Chiang's government was nearly toppled. A complete eradication of the Communist Party of China eluded Chiang. The Communists regrouped in Jiangxi and established the Chinese Soviet Republic. Chiang's anti-communist stance attracted the aid of Nazi Germany military advisers, and in Chiang's fifth campaign to defeat the Communists in 1934, he surrounded the Red Army only to see the Communists escape through the epic Long March to Yan'an.

Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek with General Joseph Stilwell in Burma (1942).

Wartime leader of China

After Japan's invasion of Manchuria in 1931, Chiang temporarily resigned as Chairman of the National Government. Returning, he adopted a slogan "first internal pacification, then external resistance," which meant that the government would first attempt to defeat the Communists before engaging the Japanese directly. Though it continued for several years, the policy of appeasing Japan and avoiding war was widely unpopular. In December 1936, Chiang flew to Xi'an to coordinate a major assault on People's Liberation Army (Red Army) forces holed up in Yan'an. On December 12, Chang Hsueh-liang whose homeland of Manchuria had been invaded by the Japanese, and several other Nationalist generals, kidnapped Chiang Kai-shek for two weeks in what is known as the Xi'an Incident. The conditions for his release included his agreement to form a "United Front" against Japan. Chiang refused to make a formal public announcement of this "United Front" as many had hoped, and his troops continued fighting the Communists throughout the war.

All-out war with Japan broke out in July 1937. In August of the same year, Chiang sent 500,000 of his best trained and equipped soldiers to defend Shanghai. With about 250,000 Chinese casualties, Chiang lost his political base of Whampoa-trained officers. Although Chiang lost militarily, the battle dispelled Japanese claims that it could conquer China in three months and demonstrated to the Western powers (which occupied parts of the city and invested heavily in it) that the Chinese would not surrender under intense Japanese fire. This was skillful diplomatic maneuvering on the part of Chiang, who knew the city would eventually fall, but wanted to make a strong gesture in order to secure Western military aid for China. By December, the capital city of Nanjing had fallen to the Japanese and Chiang moved the government inland to Chongqing. Devoid of economic and industrial resources, Chiang could not counter-attack and held off the rest of the war preserving whatever territory he still controlled, though his strategy succeeded in stretching Japanese supply lines and bogging down Japanese soldiers in the vast Chinese interior who would otherwise have been sent to conquer southeast Asia and the Pacific islands.

Chiang, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill met at the Cairo Conference in 1943.

With the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the opening of the Pacific War, China became one of the Allied Powers. During and after World War II, Chiang and his American-educated wife, Soong May-ling, "Madame Chiang Kai-shek," held the unwavering support of the United States China Lobby which saw in them the hope of a Christian and democratic China.

Chiang's strategy during the War opposed the strategies of both Mao Zedong and the United States. The U.S. regarded Chiang as an important ally able to help shorten the war by engaging the Japanese occupiers in China. Chiang, in contrast, used powerful associates such as H.H. Kung (1861-1967), the banker and politician, in Hong Kong, to build the Republic of China army for certain conflict with the communist forces after the end of World War II. This fact was not understood well in the United States. The U.S. liaison officer, General Joseph Stilwell, correctly deduced that Chiang's strategy was to accumulate munitions for future civil war rather than fight the Japanese, but Stilwell was unable to convince Franklin Delano Roosevelt of this and precious Lend-Lease armaments continued to be allocated to the Kuomintang. Chiang was recognized as one of the "Big Four" Allied leaders along with Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin and traveled to attend the Cairo Conference in November 1943. His wife acted as his translator and adviser.

Losing China

The Japanese surrender in 1945 did not bring peace to China, rather it allowed the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek and the Communists under Mao Zedong to resume their fight against each other. Chiang's Chonqing government was ill-equipped to reassert its authority in eastern China. It was able to reclaim the coastal cities with American assistance, and sometimes those of former puppet and Japanese troops, a deeply unpopular move. The countryside in the north was already largely under the control of the Communists, whose forces were better motivated and disciplined than those of the KMT.

The United States had encouraged peace talks between Chiang and Communist leader Mao Zedong, in Chongqing. Distrustful of each other and of the United States' professed neutrality, they soon resorted to all-out war. The U.S. suspended aid to Chiang Kai-shek for much of the period of 1946 to 1948, in the midst of fighting against the People's Liberation Army, led by Mao Zedong.

Though Chiang had achieved status abroad as a world leader, his government was deteriorating with corruption and inflation. The war had severely weakened the Nationalists both in terms of resources and popularity while the Communists were strengthened by aid from Stalin and guerrilla organizations extending throughout rural areas. At the same time, with the influx of Western money and military aid, Chiang's high-level Kuomintang officers began to grow complacent and corrupt. Seeking to increase his party's strenght, Chiang increased ties to his country's wealthy landlords. This resulted in the alienation of the peasant population, which represented more than 90 percent of Chinese inhabitants. By the end of World War II, the communists had become formidable rivals, due to their large numbers and the strength of their seemingly logical ideology.

Meanwhile a new Constitution promulgated in 1947, and Chiang was elected by the National Assembly to be President. This marked the beginning of the democratic constitutional government period in KMT political orthodoxy, but the Communists refused to recognize the new Constitution and its government as legitimate.

Chiang resigned as President on January 21, 1949, as KMT forces suffered massive losses against the communists. Vice President Li Tsung-jen took over as Acting President, but his relationship with Chiang soon deteriorated, as Chiang continued to act as if he were in power, and Li was forced into exile in the United States. Under Chiang's direction, Li was later formally impeached by the Control Yuan.

After four years of civil war, Chiang and the nationalists were forced to flee mainland China in the early morning hours of December 10, 1949, when Communist troops laid siege to Chengdu, the last KMT occupied city in mainland China, where Chiang Kai-shek and his son Chiang Ching-kuo directed the defense at the Chengdu Central Military Academy.

They were evacuated to Taiwan, where they established a government-in-exile and dreamed of retaking the mainland, never foreseeing that it was to be their last time on their home soil.

Presidency in Taiwan

By 1950, Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalist government had been driven from the mainland to the island of Taiwan (Formosa) and U.S. aid had been cut off. He was elected by the National Assembly to be the President of the Republic of China on March 1, 1950. In this position he continued to claim sovereignty over all of China and until his death in 1975, he ruled "Nationalist China," developing it into an Asian economic power.

In the context of the Cold War, most of the Western world recognized this position and the ROC represented China in the United Nations and other international organizations until the 1970s.

On Taiwan, Chiang took firm command and established a virtual dictatorship. Despite the democratic constitution, the government under Chiang was a politically repressive and authoritarian single-party state, consisting almost completely of non-Taiwanese mainlanders; the "Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion" greatly enhanced executive power and the goal of "retaking the mainland" allowed the KMT to maintain its monopoly on power and to outlaw opposition parties.

Chiang's government sought to impose Chinese nationalism and repressed the local culture, such as by forbidding the use of the Taiwanese language in mass media broadcasts or in schools. The government permitted free debate within the confines of the legislature, but jailed dissidents who were either labeled as supporters of the Chinese Communist Party or of Taiwan independence.

He reorganized his military forces with the help of U.S. aid, which had resumed with the start of the Korean war, and then instituted limited democratic political reforms. He continually promised reconquest of the mainland and periodically landed Nationalist guerrillas on the China coast, embarrassing the United States in doing so. Though he was one of the few leaders to send forces to Vietnam to support the U.S. war effort, he was never able to accomplish reunification in his own homeland. His international position was weakened considerably in 1971, when the United Nations expelled his regime and accepted the Communists as the sole legitimate government of China.

Since new elections could not be held in their Communist-occupied constituencies, the members of the KMT-dominated National Assembly held their posts indefinitely. It was under the Temporary Provisions that Chiang was able to bypass term limits to remain as president. He was reelected, unopposed, by the National Assembly as president four times in 1954, 1960, 1966, and 1972.

Defeated by the Communists, Chiang purged members of the KMT previously accused of corruption, and major figures in the previous mainland government such as H.H. Kung and T.V. Soong (1894-1971) exiled themselves to the United States. Though the government was politically authoritarian and controlled key industries, it encouraged economic development, especially in the export sector. A sweeping Land Reform Act, as well as American foreign aid during the 1950's laid the foundation for Taiwan's economic success, becoming one of the "East Asian Tigers."

In 1971, the United Nations passed Resolution 2758 which restored the rights of the People's Republic of China and recognized it as the only lawful representative of China to the United Nations. With Mainland China's entry into the UN, Taiwan lost its seat and representation. Since that time, Taiwan has sought, to no avail, a permanent seat, citing the UN's founding on the principles of universality and self-determination.[1]

Death and legacy

Chiang's body was not buried in the traditional Chinese manner but entombed in his former residence in Cihhu in respect for his wish to be buried in his native Fenghua.

On April 5, 1975, 26 years after Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan, he died in Taipei at the age of 87. He had suffered a major heart attack and pneumonia in the months before, and died from renal failure aggravated by advanced cardiac malfunction.

A month of mourning was declared during which the Taiwanese people wore black armbands. Televisions ran in black-and-white while all banquets or celebrations were forbidden. On the mainland, however, Chiang's death was met with little apparent mourning and newspapers gave the brief headline "Chiang Kai-shek Has Died."

Chiang's corpse was put in a copper coffin and temporarily interred at his favorite residence in Cihhu, Dasi, Taoyuan County. When his son Chiang Ching-kuo died in 1988, he was also entombed in a separate mausoleum in nearby Touliao. The hope was to have both buried at their birthplace in Fenghua once the mainland was recovered. In 2004, Chiang Fang-liang, the widow of Chiang Ching-kuo, asked that both father and son be buried at Wuchih Mountain Military Cemetery in Sijhih, Taipei County. Chiang Fang-liang and Soong May-ling had agreed, in 1997, that the former leaders be first buried but still be moved to mainland China in the event of reunification.

Chiang's popularity in Taiwan is sharply divided among political lines, enjoying greater support among KMT voters and the mainlander population. However, he is largely unpopular among DPP supporters and voters. Since the democratization of the 1990s, his picture began to be removed from public buildings and Taiwanese currency, while many of his statues have been taken down; in sharp contrast to his son Ching-kuo and to Sun Yat-sen, his memory is rarely invoked by current political parties, including the Kuomintang.

Chiang Kai-shek is well-remembered as the leader of the anti-Communists and invested many years of his life in the pursuit of its overthrow. However, what he had initially pursued was the modernization of China. He thus joined the revolutionary group of Sun Yat-sen, which believed the modernization of China could not be accomplished under the Qing regime.

Fearing that China would become a colony of a foreign power, Chiang helped establish the Kuomintang, which aimed at preparing the modern army to unite China and overthrow the warlords. This had a great impact on his nation, establishing organizations in businesses and schools. Such was the impact of Chiang's revolutionary theory on the Chinese population. The Kuomintang brought about the end of imperialism, overthrew the warlords, and targeted corruption of officers as the mainframe of his inner policy.

Chiang's ideals and goals included, as he frequently referred to, were; "establishment of a government of integrity," "organization of the people's army," and "indemnify the rights of agricultural and industrial organizations." Unfortunately such goals were not realized and corruption seeped into the party.

Chiang Kai-shek, though his ideals ultimately failed, was a man of noble ideals who loved his people and lived his life seeking for a better homeland for them.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei
The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, opened in 1980 on the fifth anniversary of Chiang's death
Entrance to the President Chiang Mausoleum
The entrance to the former Chiang residence is flanked by guards from the ROC Army.

Notes

  1. New Tawain, What does Resolution 2758 say? Retrieved January 28, 2008.

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External links

All links retrieved December 9, 2023.

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