Northern Expedition, in modern Chinese history, the military campaign by which the Kuomintang Kuomintang (gwō`mĭn`däng`, kwō`mĭntăng`) [Chin.
..... Click the link for more information. party overthrew the warlord warlord, in modern Chinese history, autonomous regional military commander. In the political chaos following the death (1916) of republican China's first president and commander in chief, Yüan Shih-kai , central authority fell to the provincial military
..... Click the link for more information. -backed Beijing government and established a new government at Nanjing. At the outset of the campaign in July, 1926, the Kuomintang controlled only Guangdong and Guangxi provs. It was allied with the smaller Communist party and was receiving aid from the Soviet Union. Communist activists spread out across SE China, fomenting strikes and thereby weakening the enemy's rear. By Mar., 1927, the Kuomintang armies (swelled by the defection of intact enemy units) had pushed back the warlord armies of Wu P'ei-fu Wu P'ei-fu (w

pā`-f
..... Click the link for more information. and Sun Ch'uan-fang and had taken all of SE China including the economic centers of Wuhan and Shanghai. At this point, a struggle broke out between the right-wing Kuomintang commander in chief, Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (jyäng kī-shĕk, jyäng), 1887–1975, Chinese Nationalist leader. He was also called Chiang Chung-cheng.
..... Click the link for more information. , and the left-wing-controlled provisional government at Wuhan under Wang Ching-wei Wang Ching-wei (wäng jĭng-wā), 1883–1944, Chinese revolutionary and political leader.
..... Click the link for more information. . Arguing that Communist activities were socially and economically disruptive and would slow the primary task of political unification under the Kuomintang, Chiang launched a purge of Communists. When he was stripped of command (Apr., 1927), Chiang formed a rival regime at Nanjing. Finally, in July, 1927, the Wuhan government also broke with the Communists, and in Feb., 1928, the two factions reunited at Nanjing under Chiang's leadership. The Kuomintang renewed the offensive against the remaining northern forces (notably the army of Chang Tso-lin Chang Tso-lin (jäng tsō`-lĭn`), 1873–1928, Chinese general. Chang was of humble birth.
..... Click the link for more information. ). Beijing was taken by the Kuomintang in June, 1928, and the national government was moved to Nanjing.

Bibliography

See H. R. Isaacs, The Tragedy of the Chinese Revolution (2d rev. ed. 1966); C. M. Wilbur, The Nationalist Revolution in China 1923–28 (1985).

Northern Expedition

(1926–27) Campaign of the Chinese Nationalist army (then allied with the communists) that advanced north from Guangzhou (Canton) to the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) battling warlord forces. The Northern Expedition was aided by Soviet arms and advisers and by a propaganda corps that preceded them. After defeating the warlords, the Nationalist army turned on Britain as the chief imperialist power and primary enemy. In response, the British returned their concessions in Hankou and Jiujiang but prepared to defend Shanghai. The alliance between the communists and the Nationalists fell apart at that point: when communist-led labour unions captured Shanghai for Chiang Kai-shek, he attacked and suppressed them, and when he set up his new government in Nanjing he expelled the communists from it. See also Zhang Zuolin.