In the long course of history, some figures have always caused countless discussions and controversies, and Chiang Kai-shek is undoubtedly one of them. In 1949, with the victorious advance of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government was forced to retreat to Taiwan, a historical turning point that is still repeatedly interpreted by countless historians and political commentators. In his later years in Taiwan, Chiang Kai-shek frequently reflected on his failures in his diary, but rarely self-criticized and more shifted the blame to others. He believes that if it were not for the "misoperation" of three key figures, how could he have fled to Taiwan in defeat? These three people are Marshall of the United States, Stalin of the Soviet Union, and Li Zongren of China. What did they do to make Chiang Kai-shek so angry? This article will delve into the story behind this and uncover the other side of history.
Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Nationalist government who had single-handedly controlled the mainland, had a political career full of drama and controversy. After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in 1945, the contradictions between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party intensified, and in 1949, the People's Liberation Army occupied Nanjing, and Chiang Kai-shek had to retreat to Chongqing, and finally lost Taiwan on November 30. This defeat seems to be a comparison of military strength, but in fact it is also influenced by external factors.
The first was George Marshall, a five-star general in the United States, who played a complex role in Chiang Kai-shek's mind. Marshall was an important leader of the U.S. Department of the Army, which provided a large amount of military and economic assistance to China during World War II. Chiang Kai-shek, on the other hand, saw this aid as fraught with oppression and fraud. Although Marshall was sent to China after the war to try to broker peace negotiations between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, Chiang Kai-shek's resentment against him had long taken root.
Marshall's proposal for multiple consultations seems reasonable at first glance, but it always seems inadequate in implementation. Chiang Kai-shek's assessment of Marshall in his diary was extremely mixed, praising his sincerity and efforts while criticizing him for his ignorance of China's national conditions and the Communist Party's tactics. Marshall's proposal, such as the mixing of the Kuomintang and Communist armies, made Chiang Kai-shek find it even more difficult to accept, believing that it was a submission to the Communists. Eventually, Marshall's failed mediation led to a full-scale civil war, and Chiang Kai-shek wrote angrily in his diary that Marshall was "anesthetized by the Communists" and was too accommodating to the Communists.
Next came the Soviet leader Stalin, who also played a non-negligible role in the defeat of Chiang Kai-shek. As the leader of the Comintern, Stalin had unspoken support for the victory of the Chinese Communist Party. Chiang Kai-shek believed that Stalin's assistance to the Chinese Communist Party in various ways was another key factor in its defeat. In Chiang Kai-shek's view, this backing of the Soviet Union not only directly strengthened the military power of the Chinese Communist Party, but also provided it with political support in the international arena. Stalin used the resources of the Soviet Union to give the CCP great help in strategic materials and military training, which put the Nationalist Government at a clear disadvantage when confronting the CCP.
One who cannot be ignored is Li Zongren in China. Li Zongren was the vice president of the Nationalist government and had a complicated relationship with Chiang Kai-shek. In Chiang Kai-shek's view, some of Li Zongren's decisions and actions dealt a major blow to the internal unity of the Nationalist Government. Li Zongren adopted a relatively moderate strategy in dealing with the relations between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, which Chiang Kai-shek saw as a sign of weakness against the Communists. More crucially, when Chiang Kai-shek retreated to Taiwan in 1949, Li Zongren failed to organize resistance effectively, but instead opted for a peaceful transition, which in Chiang Kai-shek's view was the key to the direct loss of the mainland by the Nationalist government.
Under this series of internal and external attacks, Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government was defeated one after another. In his diary, he repeatedly discussed the "betrayal" and "misconduct" of these three people, believing that they were the key factors in his own failure. Chiang Kai-shek believed that he was trapped by these three men and the complicated situation at home and abroad, and although he himself made mistakes, he was more forced to react.
In his reflection, Chiang Kai-shek specifically mentioned his "soft-heartedness" as his Achilles' heel, and he believed that if he had been more decisive at critical moments, the situation might have been different. But the wheels of history have rolled forward, Chiang Kai-shek can only continue to maintain the remnants of his regime in Taiwan, and the mainland has opened a new chapter.
From Marshall's failed mediation, to Stalin's backing, to Li Zongren's policy vacillation, all this constituted the "betrayal of the Big Three" in Chiang Kai-shek's heart. They left a deep imprint on Chiang Kai-shek's heart and became an eternal pain in his diary in his later years. While this attribution may be overly simplistic from a historical perspective, it does reflect how Chiang Kai-shek found explanation and solace in the face of adversity.
In this chaotic history, we have not only seen the plight and struggles of a leader, but also witnessed the complexity and multifaceted nature of history. Behind every decision, it is not only the will of the individual, but also the tide of the times. Chiang Kai-shek's defeat was not only a tragedy of personal fate, but also an inevitable product of the times.
Looking back on Chiang Kai-shek's life, from his anti-Japanese resistance to the civil war, and then to the final defeat of Taiwan, we can see the various choices and helplessness of a leader under great pressure. His diary is not only a retrospective of the past, but also a kind of self-justification and a certain expectation for the future. By dissecting the three "keys" in Chiang Kai-shek's eyes