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• Chiang Kai-shek was a military and political leader of the Kuomintang and the Republic of China, both on the mainland of China and later on the island of Taiwan. He was a respected military commander in China, leading the army in the Northern Expedition, which unified China and ended the Warlord Era, and also the Second Sino-Japanese War. His attempts to eradicate the Chinese Communist Party cost him significant stature and eventually forced him to flee mainland China, along with his party the Kuomintang, to Taiwan. He ruled as the President of Taiwan until his death in 1975. Recently, Chiang's popularity has waned and been divided along political lines. Vocal critics of his legacy point to his dominant, authoritarian rule, enforcement of a one-party state, and control of the media and public institutions.

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: October 31, 1887
  2. Died: April 5, 1975
  3. Leader of the Republic of China from 1928 to 1975
  4. Studied in Japan and served in the Imperial Japanese Army in his youth
  5. Forced the Chinese Communist Party on the infamous Long March
  6. The historical memory of Chiang Kai-shek in Taiwan is slowly being rewritten

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Xinhai Revolution | Sun Yat-sen | Mao Zedong | The Long March | China | History of China | Taiwan | Kuomintang

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