Chiang Kai-Shek
Chiang Kai-Shek (1887-1975), Chinese soldier and statesman. He became active in the revolutions of 1911 that established the Chinese republic. As military leader of the republic he attacked the northern war-lords, whom he defeated in 1928, and strove for the unification of China. His less successful campaigns against the communists, temporarily halted by the Japanese occupation (1937-45), ended in Chiang’s de-feat and withdrawal to Taiwan, where he retained the office of president until his death.
