Established in 1912, the KMT played a significant role in shaping China’s political landscape until their exile in 1949. In the mid-19th century, China was forced to sign unequal treaties after military defeats, relinquishing territorial and sovereignty rights to foreign powers such as Japan and the U.K. These treaties also allowed foreign countries to exempt their citizens from Chinese laws and establish enclaves in Chinese cities. The Boxer Rebellion of 1901, the subsequent war, and the fall of the Qing Dynasty in the 1911 Xinhai Revolution marked a turning point in Chinese history. Following the abdication of the last Qing emperor, Puyi, on February 12, 1912, the Kuomintang began to take shape as a prominent political force.
Sun Yat-sen: Revolutionary and Leader
Sun Yat-sen, the founder and central figure of the Kuomintang, was born in 1866 in Guangdong Province. He moved to Hawaii to live with his brother, where he learned English at a British and American school. After studying in Hong Kong and graduating from medical school, Sun joined anti-Qing revolutionaries and plotted an unsuccessful uprising in 1895, leading to his exile to Japan and later the U.S. Sun’s core ideology aimed to replace the Qing Dynasty with a modern nation-state. He returned to China after the 1911 Revolution and briefly served as the provisional President of the Republic of China in 1912.
In 1912, Sun established the Kuomintang, also known as the Nationalist Party, during the turbulent Warlord Era from 1916 to 1928. Despite political turmoil and regional military governments, the KMT gradually expanded its influence in southern China with the help of the Chinese Communist Party and support from the Soviet Union. Sun introduced the Three Principles of the People in 1924, emphasizing Nationalism, Democracy, and Peoples Livelihood to modernize China. Although Sun passed away in 1925 before unifying China, his successor Chiang Kai-shek continued his mission.
The Northern Expedition
The Northern Expedition was a military campaign in China that aimed to reunify the country by defeating warlords and unifying different regions under the Nationalist government.In 1926, the KMT armies led by Chiang Kai-shek launched a campaign to unify China by moving north. With the support of some warlords and assistance from the Soviet Union, they successfully advanced to Beijing, the capital city. This victory in capturing Beijing helped Chiang gain international recognition as the leader of China.
However, as the military campaign continued, Chiang turned against the Communists and members of the KMT who leaned towards leftist ideologies. In a violent turn of events on April 12, 1927, Chiang’s forces carried out a massacre of the Communists. The surviving Communists fled to rural areas where they had support, particularly among the peasants. It was in these rural regions that the Communists began to rebuild their strength, rallying peasants against both warlords and corrupt KMT officials.
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Maintaining Stability and Dealing with Crisis
By 1928, the Kuomintang successfully unified China and put an end to the Warlord Era. Chiang Kai-shek aimed to modernize the country by advocating for democratic reforms such as voting rights, women’s rights, and universal education, in line with Sun Yat-sen’s Three Principles of the People. The KMT also sought to establish a welfare state. However, peace did not last long.
Despite making progress towards these objectives, the KMT faced ongoing crises after 1930. In 1931, Imperial Japan invaded Manchuria and continued its aggression. The KMT’s troops, trained by Germans, were unable to effectively resist the Japanese forces. By 1937, significant parts of China had been occupied, leading the KMT to relocate their capital multiple times by the 1940s. The KMT engaged in conflicts with the Communist forces and warlord uprisings, while corruption persisted despite various reform efforts.
The Reds: Still Standing Strong
The Communist massacre in 1927 sparked a Civil War that intensified throughout the 1930s and concluded with the defeat of the Kuomintang (KMT) in 1949. The KMT emerged victorious over the Communists in 1936, leading to the initiation of the Long March. Mao Zedong assumed leadership during this march and subsequently became the head of the Communist Party after reorganization. The Communists engaged in a successful guerrilla warfare against the Japanese, diverting their forces and preventing them from being deployed elsewhere.
1940s: Conflict and Forced Migration
Mao Zedong declared victory after the Chinese Communist Party defeated the Nationalist China, a major Allied power, in 1949. The Nationalists, supported by the United States, faced off against the Communists, backed by the Soviet Union, in areas formerly occupied by Japan. The Nationalists suffered significant losses due to issues like corruption, forced peasant conscription, and massacres. In 1949, the Nationalists retreated to Taiwan permanently. The Kuomintang’s role in modernizing China, breaking the dynastic cycle, ending foreign domination, and uniting the country has been recognized, even by the current Communist government, which views Sun Yat-sen as a revolutionary figure.
