Chapter 4 Chiang Kai-shek in history

Chiang Kai-shek is one of the few heads of state in the history of the Republic of China. He once ruled a quarter of the world with a round head and a square toe. He has his due historical status.However, Chiang Kai-shek's historical image has been distorted in a different way.In the areas under the rule and influence of the Kuomintang, because of the "unlimited savior" style of smearing, trying to exalt, and praise the "savior of the nation" who has made great achievements and achievements, even Chiang Kai-shek himself unconsciously called himself the "savior of the nation" , shouted to the compatriots in the mainland, and even some people deified him, saying that "President Jiang is a god"! war criminals".In recent years, in order to unite the front, some positive descriptions and affirmations that may not be completely appropriate have been made, but the keynote is still representative of "big landlords and big bourgeoisie" and "bureaucratic capital".It seems that there are praises and criticisms, but in fact the praises and criticisms still go to extremes.In the West, especially in the United States, Chiang Kai-shek has long been judged as a negative figure of failure. He is generally regarded as a dictatorial and incompetent political figure.We mentioned in the book Truman's extremely contemptuous criticism of the Chiangs in his later years, which can be seen.These different extreme images, whether positive or negative, are all "packaged" Chiang Kai-shek, and Chiang Kai-shek's true face cannot be seen.

But when we engage in historical research, we want to reveal the truth about people and events in the past.If people like Chiang Kai-shek did not reveal their true colors, many historical events of the Republic of China would be difficult to clarify.After reading this book, readers should be able to feel the author's intention to seek the truth and illuminate many difficult historical events of the Republic of China.On the basis of discussing Chiang Kai-shek's real life, we are willing to take a macro perspective and make some comprehensive conclusions based on the balance of history.

Among the many comments, almost no one disputes that Chiang Kai-shek is a revolutionary and a patriotic nationalist. He and his Kuomintang members are also known as "Nationalists" (Nationalists) internationally.However, according to our understanding, such a formulation is still debatable and not exact. Chiang Kai-shek, of course, claimed to be a revolutionary, and regarded himself as the successor of Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary legal system, and regarded his political opponents as reactionary or counter-revolutionary.However, the word revolution has its own objective meaning. To put it simply, it refers to the overthrow of the old society and the establishment of a new political and religious order.Back then, the National Revolutionary Army’s Northern Expedition wanted to overthrow the warlords and landlord forces representing the old society, as well as the imperialist forces representing foreign interests, and to establish a new China based on the Three Principles of the People.However, Chiang Kai-shek compromised with the warlords, landlords, and imperialist forces one by one, and the Nanjing government, which hung the "sheep head" of the Three People's Principles, was actually selling the "dog meat" of the one-party dictatorship.The learned revolutionist Zhang Taiyan ridiculed Chiang Kai-shek's implementation of the Three People's Principles as "traitorism, party rule and the people's livelihood". "Revolution" doesn't even show itself.It is not surprising that Chiang Kai-shek changed from "Red General" to "White Terror" in just a few years, let alone explain his ideological transformation from extreme "Left" to extreme Right, because his "revolutionary thought" has no real Its content was originally a slogan or form used as a political appeal or to win political interests.Genuine revolutionary ideas must be able to break through the "emotional evolution" of existing old ideas, and Chiang Kai-shek did not; if we say that Lenin, Trotsky, and Gandhi are revolutionaries (see Wolfenstein, The Revolutionary Personality: Lenin, Trotsky, Gandhi), Chiang Kai-shek was not at all.

Huang Renyu, a historian who was a junior officer of Chiang Kai-shek, advocated "big history" and called for looking at historical events and figures from a big and macro perspective.In fact, this should be the case in the history of history, but he looked at Chiang Kai-shek from the perspective of "big history". Consciously or unconsciously, he used the "big" of history to cover up the "small" of the individual, and used "inpersonal factors" to relieve him. Personal factors and personal historical responsibility can be pushed to the irresistible historical trend, so Chiang Kai-shek's "doing something" or "not doing anything" has become the "inevitability" of history and is beyond reproach. What is interesting is that Huang Renyu not only believed that Chiang Kai-shek was involuntarily and helplessly involved in the "big history", but also said that Chiang built "high-rise buildings" and presided over "mass movements" that were "rare in human history", and Under the "unified military order", the mobilization of three to five million troops to resist the war paved the way for China's modernization, which was "unprecedented since the beginning of time". (Refer to Huang Renyu's "Reading Chiang Kai-shek's Diary from the Perspective of Big History") These assertions, not to mention the contradictions in thinking, are also inconsistent with historical facts.

In 1924, the Kuomintang was reorganized and invited Borodin of the Comintern as its military adviser. Indeed, it organized and launched a mass movement. However, since Chiang Kai-shek’s purge of the party, it has “drawn a clear line” with the mass movement, regarded it as a riot, and adopted hostile methods. Attitudes and policies of repression.Trade unions and peasant associations were disbanded, and leaders of the labor movement and peasant movement were killed one after another.The purged Communist Party, under the leadership of "Zhu Mao", launched a special labor movement, peasant movement and student movement to compete with Chiang.It can be seen that since Jiang took power, he has always stood on the opposite side of the "mass movement". Living on the island.A person who claimed to be a revolution turned out to be revolutionized. I don't know if it is "irony" or "paradox"?As for the "unified military order" during the Anti-Japanese War, it was only Chiang Kai-shek's "dream" rather than "actuality". The "mobilization" that was "unprecedented since the beginning of time" was tragic and tragic, and it almost destroyed a country. , it will definitely hinder China's modernization, let alone "pave the way"?The "high-level organization" of Chiang Kai-shek's construction is nothing more than that he established a Nanjing central government, but this organization is not higher than the Beiyang government, and it also lacks the foundation of the middle and lower levels.

From the perspective of "big history", Huang Renyu finally made the conclusion: "Chiang Kai-shek is not a great dictator, he lacks the tools to be a dictator. He is also impossible to become a fighter for democracy. Even if he has such ambitions, he has no such opportunity. ” (see previous citation, page 427) In fact, Chiang Kai-shek did not lack tools for dictatorship. In addition to directly controlling the army, there were also special agencies such as the Central Command and the Military Command. Solini's "black shirts" and Hitler's "brown shirts" are only inferior to Hitler's "centralization", and because of China's vast territory, the "magic palm" cannot cover the whole area Ear.Because of his authoritarian mentality, it is absolutely impossible for him to have the ambition of being a "democracy fighter"; if he has this ambition, he definitely has enough opportunities.Not to mention that after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, under the trend of freedom and democracy, he still insisted on one-party dictatorship and opposed the coalition government. Even under the pressure of the United States, he completed the CPPCC resolution and deliberately sabotaged it.At least a quarter of a century after retreating to Taiwan, there is enough time and environment to gradually promote democracy. However, he repeatedly violated the constitution for re-election, strictly prohibited freedom of speech, and made the opposition party die. "There is no such opportunity" is completely inconsistent with the facts. From the perspective of big history, the bronze mirror of history is actually regarded as a distorting mirror.

The era when Chiang Kai-shek grew up coincided with the rise of modern Chinese nationalism. Under the unprecedented violent internal and external troubles, people with lofty ideals had a particularly strong sense of saving the nation.Chiang Kai-shek experienced the scene himself, and he had obvious nationalism and patriotic sentiments, which was a matter of course.However, when we carefully observe his words and deeds throughout his life, the patriotism of this person who is generally considered to be "deeply nationalistic" is not so simple.His anti-imperialist national sentiments are very inconsistent. For example, he shows deep hatred for British imperialism, but he is snobbish about American imperialism. What is more noteworthy is that in his mind, the national interests are more important than personal interests. .It is not difficult to see that he often confuses personal interests with the interests of the party and the country. His crisis is the crisis of the party and the country, his defeat is the defeat of the party and the country, and his betrayal is the betrayal of the party and the country. There are too many examples.Of course, the interests of the two coincide with each other. For example, he "absolutely opposes" Taiwan independence and American trusteeship, which is not only in the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation, but also in line with his own fundamental interests. Shake his power base, as well as the legitimacy of Chiang's regime.Zhou Enlai said in 1959: "National standpoint is very important. We still have room for Chiang Kai-shek because he is still at odds with U.S. imperialism on ethnic issues, and he also opposes trusteeship and the creation of two Chinas." ( See "Zhou Enlai's United Front Documents", p. 397) This is not always the case. It is not just a "national standpoint"! Chiang Kai-shek's own interests conflict with the interests of the party and the country. : Before the Anti-Japanese War, in order to eliminate dissidents and stabilize his position, he repeatedly tolerated the encroachment of the Japanese emperor; during the Anti-Japanese War, if the Japanese warlords were not too arrogant and unwilling to withdraw their troops, he was ready to recognize Manchuria and accept the land south of the Great Wall After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, in order to tear down the backstage of the CCP, he did not hesitate to sacrifice the rights and interests of the Northeast and betray Outer Mongolia in order to sign a treaty of friendship and alliance with the Soviet Union; he fell out with Stilwell because he did not want to hand over the command of the army to foreign countries However, when the Kuomintang and the Communist Party lost the civil war, they took the initiative to ask the United States to take full power to save them from peril, but Truman refused.It can be seen from this that he clearly placed his own importance above the party state.He is "skin" and the party-state is "hair." If there is no "skin" there will be no "hair" left, which can best express his mentality.

But how should we treat this historical figure? Liu Shaotang (Chief Editor-in-Chief of "Biographical Literature"-Editor's Note), the curator of the "Unofficial History Museum" in Taipei, once revealed a secret insider, saying that it was the time when the Cultural Revolution broke out on the mainland. There are different opinions among strategists in the Kuomintang, but President Jiang settled it with one sentence: "The power struggle is true, and the rest are false!" Regardless of whether this shocking statement is completely correct or oversimplified, it at least reveals the intention of the speaker. And it can be confirmed from his diary on March 26, 1936: "Political life is all about scheming, as for morality, you can't ask again!" Or fight for the world's traditional Chinese political culture.Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, one said "he can replace him", and the other said "a man should be like this", both showed this kind of ambition. Before Chiang Kai-shek made his fortune, at the end of 1921, he traveled from Shanghai to Hong Kong and sea. He told his newly married wife that "I am very ambitious" (see "Chen Jieru's Memoirs", Volume 1, p. 129). The specific content of the so-called "ambition" is not to make "marriage clothes" for others, but to Start your own business.Since he regards state affairs as his own foundation, how is it different from the emperor's thinking since ancient times? Is it accidental that Chiang Kai-shek finally passed on his foundation to his son Chiang Ching-kuo? Available in traditional colours.

From the emperor's point of view, Chiang Kai-shek's "ambition", "power" and "fortunateness" have actually made him the founding king of the country. His name is Commander-in-Chief, Chairman Chiang, Chairman Chiang, President Chiang, President Chiang , In essence, it is no different from the emperor who exercised the power of life and death. His execution by shooting is actually more unrestrained than the emperor's decapitation, and it is not according to the procedure.But he won the world immediately, and the gun came out of power, but he couldn't rule the world immediately. After struggling and busying his whole life, he ended up dying in the second generation.When we reread Kong Shangren's work, can we feel the emotion of history repeating itself?Please see this paragraph:

I have seen the jade palace in Jinling cry at dawn, and the waterside pavilions in the Qinhuai River bloom early.Who knew it would be easy to freeze.Seeing him getting up upstairs, seeing him entertaining guests, seeing his building collapse. (Page 148) Isn't it another Jinling spring dream?And its rapid rise and fall, according to the poet and historian Chen Yinke, has not been seen many times in ancient times, and its death also made the Duke (Chiang Kai-shek) "lose it by himself"! (See my ugly summer poem) There are many reasons for "self-lostness", but the main reason is not the envoy's background.Chiang Kai-shek was a naughty rogue in his youth, but as an adult, he joined gangs, worshiped old men, speculated in stocks, and his absurd and indulgent behaviors in Shili Yangchang.However, in the long history of the country, it is not uncommon for a rogue to become a monarch. Han Gaozu, who created the Han Dynasty for 400 years, and Ming Taizu, who built the Ming Dynasty for 300 years, both came from humble backgrounds, and they are not different from rogues. The so-called heroes are not afraid of low birth , There is also a way to steal. The late Xiao Gongquan, an authoritative scholar in the history of political thought, mentioned in his dictation that if Chiang Kai-shek had the style of Du Yuesheng pat his chest and "gossip", he might not have failed.However, Chiang Kai-shek dealt with Wang Jingwei and Hu Hanmin in his early years; he dealt with Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng in his middle age; Harming the public with selfishness, not only that, but also deliberately covering up his disgraceful past, and even in order to cover up, he treated Chen Jieru, who was married to Ming Media, unreasonably and unreasonably.In addition to covering up, there is also a disguise. In the official documents and textbooks of primary and secondary schools, it is falsely stated that he graduated from the Japanese Military Academy.In this biography, we have a special section to clarify and prove that he has never been a non-commissioned officer.The matter of textual research is small, and correcting mistakes is a big matter. More importantly, you can see the big from the small, and you can know the autumn from a leaf. As Zhe Confucian Ma Yifu pointed out, Jiang's narrowness and pretentiousness affected his governance, which is no small matter.Therefore, as far as the standards of ancient emperors are concerned, Chiang Kai-shek's performance is not as grand as a king's.

After all, the era of Chiang Kai-shek was different from that of the ancient emperors. As a leader of a country, basic modern knowledge is essential, and Chiang is obviously not enough in this regard.Economist Ma Yinchu once compared Jiang's bald head to a light bulb, with a vacuum inside and no outside access. It may be harsh, but it is by no means a fiction.At the time of the Cairo Conference, it is not surprising that Chiang Kai-shek did not know what a "monsoon" was on an international occasion.However, although the leaders themselves lack knowledge, if they can make use of talents and use the wisdom of others as their own, it is not impossible to make up for their weaknesses. China" Volume 15, No. 9), this is what it means. Although Hu Shi's dedication came too late, the Seventy Weng not only refused to listen to him, but was angered.Therefore, throughout his life, relying on his own insufficiency, blindly acting recklessly, with the military and police as eagle dogs, no one dared to correct his mistakes, and the consequences of reckless destruction are definitely not accidental. Because such Chiang Kai-shek wields the power of life and death and controls the fate of the party and the country, its influence is not limited to a group of people or a party, and it is bound to affect the whole country.His decision-making alone can affect the lives of millions of people, the future of the country, and the fundamental interests of the nation, such as the Central Plains War, the Eight-Year War of Resistance, the Civil War between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, Sino-Soviet and Sino-US relations, and so on.All the merits and demerits, the success or failure, and the price are all recorded in the historical account, and this commentary also explains it.It can be further pointed out that although the dynasty has come to an end, his influence has not completely disappeared.The gigantic "Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall" still towers over the essence of Taipei, leaving behind a concrete symbol that is difficult to ignore. More realistically, the current situation on both sides of the Taiwan Strait is a problem left over by Chiang Kai-shek.Back when the Kuomintang still owned half of the mainland, when Chiang retired from the army, he arranged in advance to move the main force to Taiwan. Therefore, after the outbreak of the Korean War, a situation of confrontation between the island and the mainland was formed, which has continued to this day.Chiang Kai-shek's coffin was temporarily housed in Cihu. Obviously, according to his last words, "to restore the mainland in the future, and then enshrine it in Zijin Mountain in Nanjing." It was a false wish during his lifetime, and some even ridiculed it as a "myth". However, the will to be buried in Zijin Mountain should be rewarded after the reconciliation and unification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.Although his coffin has not yet been settled, his life can be concluded on the 20th anniversary of his death.