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Who led the Nationalist government during the Chinese Civil War?
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Chinese Civil War
Nationalist Army soldiers preparing to defend Shanghai from Communist forces, c. 1949.
During the Chinese Civil War (1945–1949), the Nationalist government was led by Chiang Kai-shek.12
Chiang served as the head of the Nationalist government throughout this period, though he retired temporarily in January 1949 as the military situation deteriorated. During this brief retirement, he turned over the responsibility of maintaining the government and negotiating with the Communists to the vice president, General Li Tsung-jen (Li Zongren). Following the collapse of peace negotiations and the subsequent Communist advance, Chiang eventually withdrew to Taiwan, where he reestablished the Nationalist government.32