The political and military career of Chiang Kai-shek from his rise in the Kuomintang through the unification of China, resistance against Japan, WWII leadership, and defeat in the Civil War.
Chiang (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) traveled to Tokyo to study at the Shimbu Gakko, a military preparatory school for Chinese students, where he met Chen Qimei (陈其美, Chén Qíměi). (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí)_Kai-shek
Chiang (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) returned to China to support the Xinhai Revolution, serving under Chen Qimei (陈其美, Chén Qíměi) in the capture of Hangzhou during the Wuchang Uprising. (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí)_Kai-shek
Sun Yat-sen (孙中山, Sūn Zhōngshān) sent Chiang (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) to Moscow to study Soviet military and political institutions for the Kuomintang's reorganization. (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí)_Kai-shek
Chiang (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) became the first commandant of the Whampoa Military Academy, training officers for the National Revolutionary Army.
Chiang (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) launched the Northern Expedition from Guangzhou, a military campaign to unify China under Kuomintang rule.
Chiang (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) ordered the purge of communists in Shanghai, ending the First United Front and sparking the Chinese Civil War.
Zhang Xueliang (张学良, Zhāng Xuéliáng) pledged allegiance to the Nationalist government in Nanjing, completing the nominal unification of China.
Japan invaded Manchuria following a staged railway sabotage, challenging Chiang's (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) government and establishing a puppet state.
Chinese communists began the Long March to evade Chiang's (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) encirclement campaigns, retreating to Yan'an in Shaanxi.
Zhang Xueliang (张学良, Zhāng Xuéliáng) kidnapped Chiang (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) in Xi'an, forcing him to agree to a Second United Front with the communists against Japan.
A clash between Japanese and Chinese troops near Beijing marked the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Japanese forces captured Nanjing, leading to the Nanjing Massacre; Chiang's (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) government relocated to Wuhan and later Chongqing.
Chiang (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) ordered the breaching of Yellow River dikes to slow the Japanese advance, causing massive civilian casualties and displacement.
Following Pearl Harbor, China officially declared war on Japan, Germany, and Italy, aligning with the Allied powers.
Chiang (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) met with Roosevelt and Churchill in Cairo to discuss the Allied strategy against Japan and postwar Asia.
Chiang's (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) government signed a treaty with the USSR recognizing Mongolian independence in exchange for Soviet support in Manchuria.
Japan announced its surrender, ending World War II; Chiang (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) was recognized as one of the Big Four Allied leaders.
Chiang (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) and Mao Zedong (毛泽东, Máo Zédōng) signed an agreement in Chongqing for a coalition government, which ultimately failed to prevent civil war.
Chiang's (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) Nationalist government returned to Nanjing from Chongqing as the Chinese Civil War resumed.
An anti-government uprising in Taiwan was violently suppressed by Nationalist forces, causing lasting resentment among Taiwanese.
Chiang (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) was inaugurated as the first President of the Republic of China under the newly adopted Constitution. (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí)_Kai-shek
Facing military defeats, Chiang (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) resigned as president and retreated to his hometown of Xikou, leaving Li Zongren (李宗仁, Lǐ Zōngrén) in charge. (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí)_Kai-shek
Communist forces captured the Nationalist capital of Nanjing, effectively ending Chiang's (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) rule on the Chinese mainland.
Chiang (蒋介石, Jiǎng Jièshí) fled from Chengdu to Taipei, establishing the Republic of China government in Taiwan after losing the mainland.