The Northern Expedition

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses the Northern Expedition, a military campaign launched by the Kuamintang in July 1926 to defeat the warlords controlling northern China. The writer notes that this is considered to be an important event in modern Chinese history as it served to unify the country after decades of instability and fragmentation. Further, the writer points out that it also helped Chiang Kai-shek, the commander of the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) who led the campaign, to emerge as a strong national leader. In this paper, besides describing the background and events of the Northern Expedition, the writer discusses the role played by Chiang Kai-shek in the campaign and looks at the reasons for his success.

Outline:
Background
The Northern Expedition & Chiang Kai-shek's Role in the Campaign
Reasons for Chiang Kai-shek's Success in the Northern Expedition
References

From the Paper:

"Chiang Kai-shek, however, was by no means finished. He was still commander of the Canton garrison and on the lookout to get back into prominence. He soon got his chance when, for reasons still unclear, a gunboat, commanded by a Communist officer, suddenly appeared before dawn off Whampoa Island on March 20, 1926. Using the incident as an excuse , Chiang placed Canton under martial law, arrested several Soviet advisors in the city and closed down Communist newspapers. In the crisis that followed, Wang Jingwei resigned and went into exile; Chiang took over as the head of the Military Affairs Council (MAC) and the commander of the National Revolutionary Army (NRA). He asked Comintern and the Soviets to support a northern military campaign, besides putting up a number of demands that would tone down the Communists' influence in KMT affairs. The Soviets agreed to Chiang's demands as Stalin was engaged in a critical domestic power struggle and could not afford a blow to his prestige that a complete eviction of Soviet advisors from China would signal."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Chiang Kai-shek" (2007). Article in Encyclopedia Encarta Online. Retrieved on April 6, 2007 from http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572748/Chiang_Kai-shek.html
• "The Northern Expedition" (2007). Article in Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved on April 6, 2007 from http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-71816/China
• Spence, J. D. (1999). The Search for Modern China (2nd ed.). New York: W. W. Norton.
• Van, H. J. (2003). War and Nationalism in China 1925-1945. New York: Routledge.

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