A more American Chiang Kai-Shek

Sorry but the American Yamamoto thread got me thinking. :p What if Chiang Kai-Shek went to Westpoint and was more Western educated like Sun Li-Jen instead of going to Soviets and Japan like in the OTL?
 
I don't know how, but if Chiang went to West Point, the China Lobby would have an even bigger hard-on for the KMT than the raging OTL boner they had for Madame Chiang Kai-Shek and her ever so charming Southern drawl.
 
Thx Color-Copycat RFLMAO at your comment!

Chiang Kai Shek was savvy enough to pitch himself as a Methodist and as American as apple pie leading a Chamber of Commerce to the China lobby b/c pitching himself as caudillo of a shaky junta trying hard for Zero Approval Rating would've meant throwing him to the wolves or letting the Japanese pummel him.

You run into all kinds of PODs with that. CKS attending West Point would've been interesting but IMO not have given him the political savvy he needed to organize the KMT.
Much as I'd like to think America is magic and rubbing progressive democracy and capitalism, not to mention our tradition of yeoman homesteaders on him would've made him a cuddlier and more progressive fellow so he'd see land reform/peasant welfare as first and foremost target of social reform, I don't think that'd be the case.

If I were in CKS's shoes, hustling for power in China, I'd be Chinese first. Thus doing my best to look like the fellow Heaven sent to sort out the mess, plot and scheme and backstab so the dangerous sorts are off-balance or neutralized, then reform once power was consolidated, which was CKS's strategy AFAIK.

He just ran out of time when his coalition collapsed after WWII as the Chinese Civil War went active.

For the tl;dr crowd, CKS would probably have not accumulated what support he did in the KMT if he were perceived as American or here to make China American.
 
Regarding my earlier comment, the point I was trying to get across was that Chiang's wife had enough American-ness to cover for the two of them. Soong Mei Ling was on extremely good terms with General Chennault (who lived with the Chiangs for several years during the war), plus she wined and dined at the White House with FDR and Eleanor, and she even spoke before the US House and Senate in '43.
 
Regarding my earlier comment, the point I was trying to get across was that Chiang's wife had enough American-ness to cover for the two of them. Soong Mei Ling was on extremely good terms with General Chennault (who lived with the Chiangs for several years during the war), plus she wined and dined at the White House with FDR and Eleanor, and she even spoke before the US House and Senate in '43.

Yeah, a more American Chiang isn't necessary. It would probably be harmful to his taking of power, too, as mentioned above.
 
Well, he definitely would be less dictatorial, what with all the civilian control of military thing taught by West Point. Or so I hope. ;)

At any rate, if this version of CKS graduate in 1915, he would be a part of the class the stars fell on. Better yet: have him graduate as 43rd in the class, so he's even better than Omar Bradley, who graduated 44th in the class. :D

Marc A
 
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