Guomingdan (Kuomintang)

Verbatim translation of “National Party.” A political party organized in China in 1912. Beginning in 1931, it was the ruling party in China, led by Chiang Kai-shek. From 1937 to 1945, Guomingdan forces fought against the Japanese in the Sino-Japanese war. However, after the surrender of Japan in 1945, a civil war erupted between the Guomingdan and Communist Party forces — resulting in the occupation of China by the Communist forces and the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The supporters of the Guomingdan left for Taiwan, where the Guomingdan became the ruling party.