(1887–1975). A soldier and a statesman, General Chiang Kai-shek was the head of the Nationalist government in China from 1928 to 1949, and in Taiwan until his death. Chiang's dream was to see a united China, free from foreign domination.
Early life
Chiang Kai-shek was born on October 31, 1887, in the village of Fenghua, in the coastal province of Chekiang. In 1907 he went to a military academy in northern China to prepare for a military career. A year later he went to Tokyo to study at the Military Staff College. There he became a disciple of the exiled Chinese revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen, who is known as the father of modern China.
Career
From 1910 to 1911 Chiang served in the Japanese army, adopting there the ideals of strict self-discipline and self-denial. Chiang returned to China in 1911 and took part in a revolution that overthrew the ruling Qing, or Manchu, Dynasty and established China as a republic. However, there were revolts within the new republic; Chiang lost his army post for his participation in a 1913 revolt. Another revolt in 1916 forced him into temporary exile in Japan.
By this time China was divided among several warring military lords. In 1923 he returned to China, and two years later he became head of the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party). The goal of the party was to reunite China. During this period the party included members of the Chinese Communist Party who were working toward similar goals. Chiang took command of the Nationalist army in 1926, and 1927 he established a capital at Nanjing. He also broke with the Communists and expelled them from the Nationalist Party, setting off a civil war.
In 1928 Chiang's army gained control over Beijing. As chief of the Nationalist Party, Chiang became the head of the republic. China was still far from united, however. The provincial warlords challenged his authority. The Communists withdrew to rural strongholds and formed their own army and government.
When Japan invaded China in 1937, Chiang formed an alliance with the Communists and saved most of China from the invaders. He was elected China's president in 1943 and reelected in 1948.
Flight to Taiwan
After World War II civil war broke out again between the Communists and Chiang's Nationalist forces. The Communists won control of the Chinese mainland in 1949 and established the People's Republic of China. Chiang then moved with his forces to the island of Taiwan and established a dictatorship there. For the rest of his life Chiang dreamed of regaining control of the mainland, but it did not happen. He died on April 5, 1975, in Taipei, Taiwan.