WI Chiang Kai-shek became a believer in Communism during Soviet schooling?

[raharris1973]

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Or would his role in history have been replaced by another right-wing politician/general within the KMT to champion conservative interests in the KMT's big tent coalition?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?

 

[Tales Weaver]

Well.. In that TL, Chiang Kai Shek would have led Left KMT.

 

[raharris1973]

But would Left KMT win, or would Right KMT still win (in short and medium term) like in OTL?

 

[Zheng He]

If the Japanese still behave like they did OTL, Chiang's forces may get the lion's share of Soviet support in the 1930s like they did OTL (over Mao).

 

[raharris1973]

If the Japanese still behave like they did OTL, Chiang's forces may get the lion's share of Soviet support in the 1930s like they did OTL (over Mao).

would the Japanese even wait that long? (Till the 30s?) or jump Chiang in the 20s?

heck would the British jump a “Red” pro-Communist Chiang Kai-shek in the 1920s?

 

[LostInNewDelhi]

If Chiang's the real deal Stalin might just force the existing CCP leadership to step aside or be declared Trotskyists, but then that leaves the rightists without a chaperone. And the "rightists" include... well, most warlords, who are themselves part of/successors of the first generations of KMT leadership, who remember the party predating the CCP by a fair deal and having its own original ideas. The tightrope is going to be how to keep the rightists willing to work with a Stalinist Chiang, all while keeping Mao from leading some splinter faction, and keeping Chiang (who will generally be operating independently) from getting a little too used to that independence and likely to make a decision Stalin wouldn't want if it ensures his advantage or saves him from a coup.

 

[raharris1973]

If Chiang's the real deal Stalin might just force the existing CCP leadership to step aside or be declared Trotskyists, but then that leaves the rightists without a chaperone. And the "rightists" include... well, most warlords, who are themselves part of/successors of the first generations of KMT leadership, who remember the party predating the CCP by a fair deal and having its own original ideas. The tightrope is going to be how to keep the rightists willing to work with a Stalinist Chiang, all while keeping Mao from leading some splinter faction, and keeping Chiang (who will generally be operating independently) from getting a little too used to that independence and likely to make a decision Stalin wouldn't want if it ensures his advantage or saves him from a coup.

Good points!

 

[Tales Weaver]

. And the "rightists" include... well, most warlords, who are themselves part of/successors of the first generations of KMT leadership, who remember the party predating the CCP by a fair deal and having its own original ideas

Xu Chongzhi and Hu Hanmin were leading right KMT back then and Chiang sided with left KMT when former two were purged when Liao Zhongkai was Assassinated.. So the right KMT would be the chaperone. If the liao zhongkai wasn't killed.

 

[raharris1973]

Xu Chongzhi and Hu Hanmin were leading right KMT back then and Chiang sided with left KMT when former two were purged when Liao Zhongkai was Assassinated.. So the right KMT would be the chaperone. If the liao zhongkai wasn't killed.

Interesting - what do you mean?

 

[Tales Weaver]

Interesting - what do you mean?

The Right-KMT would have a different leader.

 

[Conster]

Assuming Chiang's ideological shift happened before 1925, after Liao Zhongkai's assassination the "right" elements would be purged out of the way by Wang and Chiang. The entire KMT is then shifted to the left. Maybe the Brits would then actively intervene in their Northern Expedition to safeguard their interests (this almost happened IMO in 1927 when the KMT took Hankou).

Another important thing to note would be the CCP in this situation. OTL Stalin considered the KMT to be more competent than the CCP, and surely this KMT would prove even more competent without the Wuhan-Nanjing split. Maybe the CCP would be purged like OTL by Wang Jingwei once they became a pain in the neck.

 

[Alexander the Average]

Assuming Chiang's ideological shift happened before 1925, after Liao Zhongkai's assassination the "right" elements would be purged out of the way by Wang and Chiang. The entire KMT is then shifted to the left. Maybe the Brits would then actively intervene in their Northern Expedition to safeguard their interests (this almost happened IMO in 1927 when the KMT took Hankou).

Could you tell me more about this? I have ideas for a timeline with, amongst other things, a surviving KMT-Communist Alliance and that seems like a relevant factor I need to consider.