History of China: The Life Of

Chiang Kai Shek

An account of Chiang Kai Shek’s career

First, he attended a military academy in North China, Baoding, 1906(1907-1911) Went to japan for military training and served in the Japanese army. He adopted and admired its idealsInfluenced by his Chinese comrades to overthrow the Manchus. This was the start of his revolutionary life…

Beginning

Was appointed commander in the 83rd brigade at

Shanghai, he took part in the fighting to over throw the Manchus.

(1911-1915) after a power struggle between Yuan Shi Kai and the KMT, the republicans finally succeeded in saving republicanism from Yuan, who had attempted to establish a new dynasty.

1918- Chiang Kai Shek joined Sun and the KMT as a major general of the Southern Armies in a failed attempt to unify the warlords-dominated north with South China.

The KMT relations begin

1923, Chiang Kai

Shek went to the Soviet Union to study the Red Army. After returning, he became the commandant of military academy in Whampoa, near Guangzhou, which was established along Soviet lines. Soviets provided advice for the Chinese.

Learning from the

Russians

Joffe and Sun laid the foundation of the coalition

between KMT and CCP CCP as a smaller bloc within a bigger bloc(KMT) and

the leftists have to accept the rightists as leader. Reasons(Sun’s): all Chinese have a right to be part

of the NR; CCP’s ties with workers, peasants and soviet aid to reorganise the KMT; and if CCP works outside of KMT it would undermine the purpose of NR.

CCP reasons: they were persuaded by the comintern to do so; both leftists wish to use KMT to expand their influence and eventually subvert it from within

Incorporation of the CCP

March 1925: Sun dies and Chiang takes over

CKS becomes head

1926-28, Chiang and the KMT attempts to

unify China by getting rid of the warlords. But in the end he was only able to neutralise and not eliminate the warlords.

Display of political skill: he expertly used propaganda on top of military superiority to win support for the Nationalists.

Result: undermined appeal for the warlords.

The Northern Expedition

1927, Chiang grows increasingly rightist and closer to

capitalists ie in Shanghai. Leftist activities starting to become an embarassment to

their movement Soviet advisers like Borodin were denounced. Separate nationalist govt in Nan Jing was established. Wedded to Song Mei Ling and deepened connections with

the Songs, who had great power in China converted to christianity(communists were non-believers) Significance: all these adds up to the possibility of the split

between the 2 parties as there were clashes in ideology and as disgust for the communists in Chiang starts to build.

Both parties deviate

After crushing the warlords, Chiang initiated

an anti-left campaign. Examples were the Shanghai Massacre and The Killings, both in 1927. They were attempted genocides to crush the communists.

Mao and the CCP started the Long March, thus fleeing from blood thirsty KMT

Crush the communists

Chiang did not resist the Japanese until he had

crushed the communists. He finally relented at the Xian incident. Only then did he recognise the Japs as the real threat.

Significance: lost much popular support from the Chinese

Sino Jap war(1937)

A flimsy KMT-CCP coalition was formed as a

front against the Japs.

WW2

The Civil War resumed KMT meets defeatthere was corruption in his govtCKS awarded high ranking positions to loyal followers, not those with rightful merit.Chiang also has no plan as to how he was to win the war; he blindly captured land.The advice of American advisors fell on deaf ears. He made many serious mistakes which proved detrimental for the standing of the KMT.KMT soldiers see no meaning to fight on as they were poorly 1)fed 2)disciplined 3)trained 4)treated. In fact, many defected to the communists.

Conflict resumed

He fled to Formosa and

established Nationalist China with US protection(1955). From there his KMT continued to battle CCP forces.

The US agreement with regards to guaranteeing the defence of Nationalist China lapsed in 1972 when the US and PRC reconciled

Taiwan

Chiang dies April 1, 1975 in Taipei. Aged 87 He had suffered a major heart attack and 

pneumonia in the months before and died from renal failure aggravated with advanced cardiac malfunction.

Death

All taken from www.google.com

photos