raharris1973
Gone Fishin'
WI Chiang Kai-shek became a believer in Communism during his 3-month training course in Russia in 1923 rather than disillusioned with it?
Could he have still risen to leadership of the Nationalist Party after Sun Yat-sen's death, and kept the KMT-CCP United Front going?
Or would his role in history have been replaced by another right-wing politician/general within the KMT to champion conservative interests in the KMT's big tent coalition?
Specifically, could Chiang have become either a Communist Party member, secret member, or thorough fellow traveler without damaging his relations with Sun Yat-sen?
If he was fellow-traveler and Communist sympathetic, would that have been compatible or not with his ties with the Shanghai Green Gang underworld?
Would it have been compatible with him having a marriage alliance with the wealthy Soong family?
If he came back genuinely sympathetic to Communism, would he have only done so openly, or could he have plausibly pretended to be anti-communist to the KMT conservatives and used their trust to sabotage their anticommunist moves?
Could he have still risen to leadership of the Nationalist Party after Sun Yat-sen's death, and kept the KMT-CCP United Front going?
Or would his role in history have been replaced by another right-wing politician/general within the KMT to champion conservative interests in the KMT's big tent coalition?
Specifically, could Chiang have become either a Communist Party member, secret member, or thorough fellow traveler without damaging his relations with Sun Yat-sen?
If he was fellow-traveler and Communist sympathetic, would that have been compatible or not with his ties with the Shanghai Green Gang underworld?
Would it have been compatible with him having a marriage alliance with the wealthy Soong family?
If he came back genuinely sympathetic to Communism, would he have only done so openly, or could he have plausibly pretended to be anti-communist to the KMT conservatives and used their trust to sabotage their anticommunist moves?