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— CH. 1 · THE BOY FROM XIKOU —

Chiang Kai-shek

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  • On the 31st of October 1887, a boy named Chiang Jui-yüan was born in the small town of Xikou. This place sat at the foot of the Wuling Mountains in Fenghua, Zhejiang province. His father worked as a salt merchant and died when the child was only eight years old. The young boy grew up under the strict guidance of his mother, who embodied Confucian virtues for him. He cut off his queue, the long braid required by the Qing dynasty, in early 1906 to signal his revolutionary spirit. That act shocked people back home but marked the start of his military career. He traveled to Japan in April 1906 to study at Tokyo Shinbu Gakko. There he ate simple meals of rice with salted fish or umeboshi. He learned English and Japanese while studying mathematics and physics. By 1908, Chen Qimei brought him into the Tongmenghui brotherhood. This organization aimed to overthrow the Manchu rulers. Chiang served in the Imperial Japanese Army from 1909 until 1911 before returning to China.

  • Sun Yat-sen died on the 12th of March 1925, leaving a power vacuum within the Kuomintang party. A struggle emerged between Wang Jingwei, Liao Zhongkai, and Hu Hanmin. On the 20th of March 1926, Chiang declared martial law to crack down on Communist influence. He became commander-in-chief of the National Revolutionary Army on the 5th of June 1926. The Northern Expedition began on the 27th of July 1926 to conquer northern warlords. By January 1927, Wang Jingwei had taken Wuhan with Soviet agent Mikhail Borodin advising him. Chiang set up a rival government in Nanjing later that year. On the 12th of April 1927, he carried out a purge of thousands of suspected Communists in Shanghai. More than five thousand people were killed during that month alone. Over three hundred thousand deaths occurred across China in the following year due to anti-Communist campaigns. One famous quote attributed to him stated he would rather kill one thousand innocent people than let one Communist escape. This event drove most Communists into rural areas where the KMT held less power. The killings marked the start of the Chinese Civil War.

  • From 1928 until 1937, various aspects of foreign imperialism were moderated by diplomacy. The government acted to modernize legal systems and stabilize prices. Railroads and highways were built while public health facilities improved. Academia Sinica was founded as the national academy of sciences. The New Life Movement encouraged Confucian moral values and personal discipline. Guoyu became the official language to foster nationalism. Women's suffrage and education were promoted under his leadership. Reserved seats for women appeared in parliament. However, much of the countryside remained under warlord influence. The Central Plains War nearly bankrupted the Nationalist government. It caused almost two hundred thousand casualties on both sides. In 1934, Chiang led armies against the newly established Chinese Soviet Republic. Foreign military advisers like Max Bauer helped surround the Red Army. The Communists retreated during the Long March, allowing Mao Zedong to rise in influence. Some historians classified this rule as fascist due to similarities with Nazism. Frederic Wakeman called it Confucian fascism. Chiang sponsored the Blue Shirts Society to expel imperialists and crush communism. Close ties with Nazi Germany provided access to German military assistance.

  • The Second Sino-Japanese War broke out in July 1937. Chiang sent over three hundred thousand soldiers to defend Shanghai. More than two hundred thousand Chinese casualties occurred there. The capital city of Nanjing fell to the Japanese by December. Eight hundred thousand to one million people died when dams around Zhengzhou were destroyed in 1938. Four million Chinese were left homeless after that flood. The fire started intentionally during the retreat from Zhengzhou to delay the enemy. Another fire destroyed much of Changsha and killed twenty thousand civilians. Newspapers blamed non-KMT arsonists for the blaze but lost support nationwide. Chiang moved the government inland first to Wuhan then to Chongqing. He authorized scorched-earth tactics resulting in many civilian deaths. In November 1943, he attended the Cairo Conference with Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. They discussed terms for Japan's surrender including the return of Taiwan. After World War II ended, civil war resumed between his forces and Mao Zedong's Communists.

  • Chiang resigned as president on the 21st of January 1949 as Nationalist forces suffered terrible losses. Vice-president Li Zongren became acting president but refused to accompany the fleeing government. Communist troops captured Nanjing in April 1949. On the 10th of December 1949, Communist troops laid siege to Chengdu. Father and son fled via Fenghuangshan Airport on an aircraft named May-ling. They arrived in Taiwan the same day. Chiang would never return to mainland China again. His government deteriorated due to corruption and hyperinflation. Troop counts were inflated above actual head counts while officers embezzled salaries. The United States limited aid from 1946 to 1948 because of widespread corruption. President Truman called them thieves who stole seven hundred fifty million dollars. Li Zongren denounced Chiang as a dictator after visiting New York. He vowed to crush Chiang once returning to China. In early March 1950, Chiang reassumed the presidency after relocating to Taipei.

  • Chiang moved the government to Taipei where he resumed duties as president on the 1st of March 1950. He was re-elected five times by the Eternal Parliament with six-year terms. Martial law lasted until 1987 while the White Terror repression campaign ended in 1992. Land reform and economic growth occurred during his rule. Crises in the Taiwan Strait happened in 1954, 1955 and again in 1958. The ROC seat at the United Nations transferred to the People's Republic of China in 1971. After Chiang died on the 5th of April 1975, his son Chiang Ching-kuo succeeded him. Chiang is credited with unifying the nation and ending humiliation. Critics fault him for tolerating corruption within the Four Families. Soong Mei-ling embezzled twenty million dollars during the 1930s and 1940s. She left only one hundred twenty thousand dollars upon her death. Most wealth was donated before she passed away. Supporters credit him with safeguarding Forbidden City treasures which were relocated to Taiwan. There he founded the National Palace Museum.

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Common questions

When was Chiang Kai-shek born and where did he grow up?

Chiang Kai-shek was born on the 31st of October 1887 in Xikou, a small town at the foot of the Wuling Mountains in Fenghua, Zhejiang province. He grew up under the strict guidance of his mother after his father died when he was eight years old.

What happened during the Shanghai purge carried out by Chiang Kai-shek on the 12th of April 1927?

On the 12th of April 1927, Chiang Kai-shek purged thousands of suspected Communists in Shanghai, killing more than five thousand people that month alone. This event drove most Communists into rural areas and marked the start of the Chinese Civil War with over three hundred thousand deaths occurring across China in the following year.

How did Chiang Kai-shek respond to the Second Sino-Japanese War starting in July 1937?

Chiang Kai-shek sent over three hundred thousand soldiers to defend Shanghai and moved his government inland from Nanjing to Wuhan and finally to Chongqing. He authorized scorched-earth tactics including destroying dams around Zhengzhou in 1938 which left four million Chinese homeless and caused hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths.

When did Chiang Kai-shek resign as president and where did he flee to?

Chiang Kai-shek resigned as president on the 21st of January 1949 after Nationalist forces suffered terrible losses and fled to Taiwan via Fenghuangshan Airport on an aircraft named May-ling on the 10th of December 1949. He reassumed the presidency in Taipei on the 1st of March 1950 and never returned to mainland China again.

What were the major political changes during Chiang Kai-shek's rule in Taiwan until his death on the 5th of April 1975?

Chiang Kai-shek was re-elected five times by the Eternal Parliament with six-year terms while martial law lasted until 1987 and the White Terror repression campaign ended in 1992. The ROC seat at the United Nations transferred to the People's Republic of China in 1971 before Chiang died on the 5th of April 1975 and was succeeded by his son Chiang Ching-kuo.

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