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.