Chiang Kai-shek (Dies Irae)

Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek ONG OBSWS OST OBJ OPC OCB OBS HSAL
	Official portrait, 1955
Chairman of the National Government of China
	In office; 10 October 1943 – 5 April 1975; Acting: 1 August 1943 - 10 October 1943
Premier	T. V. Soong
Vice Chairman	Sun Fo
Preceded by	Lin Sen
Succeeded by	TBD
	In office; 10 October 1928 – 15 December 1931
Premier	Tan Yankai; T. V. Soong;
Preceded by	Tan Yankai
Succeeded by	Lin Sen
Chairman of the Military Affairs Commission
	In office; 15 December 1931 – 5 April 1975
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
1st President of the Republic of China
	In office; 1 March 1950 – 5 April 1975
Premier	Yan Xishan; Chen Cheng; Yu Hung-Chun; Yen Chia-kan; Chiang Ching-kuo;
Vice President	Li Zongren; Chen Cheng; Yen Chia-kan;
Preceded by	Li Zongren (acting)
Succeeded by	Yen Chia-kan
	In office; 20 May 1948 – 21 January 1949
Premier	Chang Chun; Weng Wenhao; Sun Fo;
Vice President	Li Zongren
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Li Zongren (acting)
Premier of the National Government
	In office; 1 March 1947 – 18 April 1947
President	Himself
Vice Premier	Weng Wenhao
Preceded by	T. V. Soong
Succeeded by	Chang Chun
	In office; 20 November 1939 – 5 April 1975
President	Lin Sen
Vice Premier	H. H. Kung
Preceded by	H. H. Kung
Succeeded by	T. V. Soong
	In office; 9 December 1935 – 1 January 1938
President	Lin Sen
Vice Premier	H. H. Kung
Preceded by	Wang Jingwei
Succeeded by	H. H. Kung
	In office; 4 December 1930 – 15 December 1931
President	Himself
Vice Premier	T. V. Soong
Preceded by	T. V. Soong
Succeeded by	Chen Mingshu (acting)
Chairman of the Kuomintang
	In office; 12 May 1936 – 1 April 1938
Preceded by	Hu Hanmin
Succeeded by	Himself
	In office; 6 July 1926 – 11 March 1927
Preceded by	Zhang Renjie
Succeeded by	Woo Tsin-hang and Li Yuying
Director-General of the Kuomintang
	In office; 1 April 1938 – 5 April 1975
Deputy	Wang Jingwei; Chen Cheng;
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Chiang Ching-kuo
Personal details
Born	Chiang Jui-yüan; 31 October 1887; Xikou, Zhejiang, Qing dynasty
Died	5 April 1975 (aged 87); Nanjing, China
Nationality	Chinese
Political party	Kuomintang
Spouse(s)	Mao Fumei (m. 1901; div. 1921); Yao Yecheng; (m. 1913–27); Chen Jieru; (m. 1921–27); Soong Mei-ling; (m. 1927);
Children	Chiang Ching-kuo; Chiang Wei-kuo (adopted);
Alma mater	Baoding Military Academy; Tokyo Shinbu Gakko;
Signature	Chiang Kai-shek (Dies Irae)'s signature
Military service
Nickname(s)	"Generalissimo"; "Red General"; "Big Gun"; "The Napoleon of China"; "Tiger of Nanking";
Allegiance	Empire of Japan; Republic of China;
Service/branch	Imperial Japanese Army; Template:Nwr; Republic of China Army;
Years of service	1909–1975
Rank	File:General Special Class rank insignia (ROC) - V.svg General Special-Class
Battles/wars	Xinhai Revolution; Northern Expedition; Sino-Tibetan War; Kumul Rebellion; Soviet invasion of Xinjiang; Chinese Civil War; Chinese-Mongolian War; World War III;
Awards	ONG OBSWS OST OBJ OPC OCB OBS HSAL

Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 - 5 April 1975) was a Chinese statesman, revolutionary, and military commander. He was the head of the Nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) party, commander-in-chief of the National Revolutionary Army, and the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 until his death in 1975.

Born in Chekiang, Chiang was a member of the Kuomintang, and a lieutenant of Sun Yat-sen in the revolution to overthrow the Peiyang government and reunify China. After the Soviet-led Comintern re-organized the Kuomintang and Chinese Communist Party, he headed the Whampoa Military Academy. As commander-in-chief of the National Revolutionary Army, he led the Northern Expedition from 1926 to 1928, nominally reunifying China under a Nationalist government in Nanking. Midway through the Northern Expedition, the KMT–CCP alliance broke down and Chiang massacred communists and KMT leftists inside the party, triggering a civil war with the CCP, which he eventually won in 1948.

As the leader of the Republic of China during the Nanking decade, Chiang sought to modernise and unify the nation, although hostilities with the CCP continued. His government presided over economic and social reconstruction while trying to avoid a debilitating war with Japan. In December 1936 he was kidnapped in the Sian Incident, and obliged to form an Anti-Japanese United Front with the CCP. Following the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937, he mobilised China for the Second Sino-Japanese War. For eight years, he led the war of resistance against a vastly superior enemy, mostly from the wartime capital Chungking. As the leader of a major Allied power, Chiang met with British prime minister Winston Churchill and American president Thomas E. Dewey in the Cairo Conference to discuss terms for the Japanese surrender. When the Second World War ended, the civil war with the Communists (by then led by Mao Tse-tung) resumed. Following the death of Mao in 1948, the civil war was effectively over. As president of China, Chiang imposed martial law and persecuted critics during the White Terror. Presiding over a period of social reforms and economic prosperity, Chiang won five elections to six-year terms as President of the Republic of China in which he faced minimal opposition or was elected unopposed. Three years into his fifth term as president, he died in 1975. He also held the position of Director-General of the Kuomintang until his death. Chiang was one of the longest-serving non-royal heads of state in the 20th century and the longest-serving non-royal ruler of China, having held the post for 46 years.

Like Mao, Chiang is a controversial figure. Supporters credit him with a major role in unifying the nation and ending the Century of Humiliation, leading the Chinese resistance against Japan, countering communist influence, and economic development in China. Critics portray him as a brutal dictator and the head of a corrupt authoritarian regime, who massacred civilians and suppressed political dissent, and often accuse him of being a fascist. He is also criticized for flooding the Yellow River and allowing the Honan Famine during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Other historians argue that Chiang's ideology differed from right-wing dictators of the 20th century and that he did not espouse the ideology of fascism. They argue that Chiang made genuine efforts to improve China's economic and social conditions, such as land reform. Chiang is also credited with transforming China from a semi-colony of various imperialist powers to an independent country by amending the unequal treaties signed by previous governments.