Chiang Kai-shek

Chiang Kai-shek ˌchæŋ ˌkī ˈʃek (1887-1975) also Jiang Jie Shi Chinese general and political leader, President of China from 1928 to 1931 and from 1943 to 1949, and of Taiwan from 1950 to 1975, born in Fenghua, Zhejiang Province. As the Second Sino-Japanese War merged with World War II, Chiang rose in international prestige, becoming the supreme commander of the Allied forces in the China theater in 1942 and attending the Cairo Conference in 1943. By 1950 the Communists had forced Chiang and the Nationalist government to retreat to the island of Taiwan (Formosa). With U.S. military and economic assistance, Chiang reorganized his military forces and instituted limited democratic political reforms, promising the reconquest of the Chinese mainland. He contributed to Taiwan's economic development, political stability, and land reform. In 1971 the United Nations expelled his regime and accepted the Communist government of China.