Changes

The period of the 'Nanjing Republic' (1928-37)  was too short and too troubled to enable a full assessment of what established Kuomintang rule might have brought China. Chiang was faced by a series of serious internal and external problems:

The period of the 'Nanjing Republic' (1928-37)  was too short and too troubled to enable a full assessment of what established Kuomintang rule might have brought China. Chiang was faced by a series of serious internal and external problems:

Although President of China, his direct rule only extended to the lower Yangtse provinces; the rest of China continued to be ruled by warlords expressing greater or lesser degrees of loyalty to Chiang. In 1929-30 his erstwhile allies Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan rebelled against him and his rule was saved by the intervention of Zhang Xueliang.

Although President of China, his direct rule only extended to the lower Yangtse provinces; the rest of China continued to be ruled by warlords expressing greater or lesser degrees of loyalty to Chiang. In 1929-30 his erstwhile allies Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan rebelled against him and his rule was saved by the intervention of [[Zhang Xueliang]], heir of the assassinated north-eastern warlord Zhang Zuolin.

 

Chiang married into the wealthy  Soong family, his wife, Soong Meiling (1897-2003), was American-educated Methodist sister of Sun Yat-sen's leftist widow, Soong Qingling (1892-1981)). One brother in law, T.V. Soong, was his Finance Minister and chief negotiator with the U.S.  

===Dealing with the Communists===

===Dealing with the Communists===