War and Nationalism in China History Assignment Paper

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War and Nationalism in China
The leader Chiang Kaishek is recognized for enacting a government and military on behalf of China. He ensured that the military was strong enough to fight the Japanese soldiers. He fought against them on the American side. Since he was a Communist Chiang`s ideas did not usually auger well with the Americans who were in support of the Nationalists. For instance he did not invest in strengthening his army to fight against the enemy; instead he was reluctant to approach the matter. Since the US main agenda was to drive Japanese out of China, they found Chiang as a rather incapable leader. Therefore the rise of General Joseph Stillwell who was in command of the United States` forces operating in China had an impact on the achievements of Chiang Kaishek.
It is worth noting that Stillwell did not approve of the works of Chiang Kaishek as well. In 1942 the Chinese forces defeated the Allies in Burma under the leadership of Stillwell. What brought him into the limelight and made him to be focused on by the US was when under his command, Japan was driven out of China and its oil supplies cut off. Stillwell`s aggressiveness at a time when Chiang Kaishek showed reluctance in going against the Japanese won him respect and admiration from the US. On Chiang Kaishek`s side however the views about him began to change. For instance, despite the rising reputation of Stillwell as a capable commander, Chiang denied him the opportunity to be in charge of all forces in both Burma and China. As a result he was recalled. This act worked against Chiang Kaishek who was now referred to as a dictator and corrupt leader who did not have the interests of the Chinese people at heart. The claims were further supported by his reluctance to fight the Japanese. Stillwell also helped to spread this same views through his written works in which Chiang Kaishek`s regime was described as being full of corrupt practices, chaotic, and which worked in collaboration with the Chinese enemies. In essence, Chiang Kaishek`s past achievements diminished as a result of this harsh criticism. As Hans van De Ven (6) notes, the Secretary of State, Dean Acheson acknowledged that both the Chinese forces and the people had already lost confidence in their government as a result of Chiang Kaishek`s behavior. As many US writers and reporters hailed Stillwell as a hero, all the positives previously done by Chiang Kaishek continued to be overshadowed to the extent of diminishing.
Following the persistent fights between China and Japan a war ensued between the two. The war lasted between the periods of 1937 to 1945 and is said to have been triggered by a simple dispute later referred to as the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. In this incident a soldier went missing from the Japanese side and in order to search for him the Japanese soldiers demanded to access the Wanping City. The failure to be granted this demand led to the Japanese attempt...