Chiang Kai-shek
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Chiang Kai-shek (traditional Chinese: 蔣介石 / 蔣中正; simplified Chinese: 蒋介石 / 蒋中正; pinyin: Jiǎng Jièshí / Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng; Wade-Giles: Chiang Chieh-Shih; POJ: Chiúⁿ Kài-se̍k; Jyutping: zoeng2gaai3sek6), GCB (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), served as Generalissimo (Chairman of the National Military Council) of the Nationalist Government of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 to 1948. He was sometimes referred to simply as "the Generalissimo". When Sun Yat-sen died in 1925, Chiang took control of the Kuomintang (KMT). To end the Warlord era and unify China, Chiang led nationalist troops in the Northern Expedition. He became the overall leader of the ROC in 1928.[2] Chiang led China in the Second Sino-Japanese War, during which the Nationalist Government's power severely weakened, but his prominence grew. During the civil war after the Japanese surrender in 1945, he attempted to eradicate the Chinese Communists but ultimately failed, forcing his KMT government to retreat to Taiwan, where he continued the struggle against the communist regime. Serving as the President of the Republic of China and Director-General of the KMT, Chiang died in 1975.
