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How did Sun Yat-sen become the de facto ruler of southern China from 1923 to 1925?

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Sun Yat-sen established himself as the leader of a new regime in Guangzhou in February 1923 by leveraging military support from troops in Guangxi and Yunnan after previous failed attempts to maintain power in the region.1

His ability to consolidate this base and exert influence from 1923 to 1925 was primarily driven by a strategic partnership with the Soviet Union. Following the Sun-Joffe Manifesto in 1923, the Soviets provided essential political and military aid, and the Chinese Communist Party agreed to cooperate with Sun’s Nationalist Party (Kuomintang).12

Key factors in his governance included:
* Party Reorganization: With the guidance of Comintern representative Mikhail Borodin, Sun reorganized the Nationalist Party into a tightly disciplined, centralized body modeled after the Soviet Communist Party.13
* Military Development: Sun established the Whampoa Military Academy to train a loyal officer corps, appointing Chiang Kai-shek as its president.13
* Ideological Foundation: He promoted his political doctrine, the Three Principles of the People, to unify his followers and define national policies.13