Chiang Kai-shek would come to lead the "Republic of China" better known today as Taiwan. The revolution that moved China from a dynasty to communism first transitioned from 1927 to 1949 through a leader that wanted more democracy. As a matter of fact the KMT (Kuomintang) party expelled communists from it's ranks.
There was civil war in China at the end of WWII. The West never stepped into insure Chiang would have his government. Instead, the conflict cast Chiang to set up a government in Taiwan.
An interesting note about the Chinese Civil War was that it's impetus was Japan. Mao would lead a war against Japan which also advanced The West's war in the Pacific. While Chiang was given credit for the defeat of Japan, Mao ultimately was the person most responsible and took the control of China away from Chiang.
Chiang Kai-shek (click here) was a Chinese military and political leader who led the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) for five decades and was head of state of the Chinese Nationalist government between 1928 and 1949.
Chiang Kai-shek (also known as Jiang Jieshi)....
...In 1928, he led the suppression of the Chinese Communist Party.
Chiang oversaw a modest programme of reform in China but the government's resources were focused on fighting internal opponents, including the Communists. From 1931, Chiang also had to contend with a Japanese invasion in Manchuria, in the north-east of China.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Chiang,Kai Shek, and Churchill in Cairo, Egypt
In 1937, Japan launched a full-scale invasion of China. When the United States came into the war against Japan in 1941, China became one of the Allied Powers. As Chiang's position within China weakened, his status abroad grew and in November 1943 he travelled to Cairo to meet US President Franklin D Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. His wife, Soong Mei-ling, travelled with him and became famous in the west as Madame Chiang.
In 1946, civil war broke out between the KMT and the Communists. In 1949, the Communists were victorious, establishing the People's Republic of China. Chiang and the remaining KMT forces fled to the island of Taiwan. There Chiang established a government in exile which he led for the next 25 years. This government continued to be recognised by many countries as the legitimate government of China, and Taiwan controlled China's seat in the United Nations until the end of Chiang's life. He died on 5 April 1975.
