The "Acid Test" of the Revolution: Demobilization and the Collapse of Chiang Kai-Shek's Military Coalition in 1929

Abstract:In early 1929, Chiang Kai-shek initiated a demobilization movement that he saw as an essential step in breaking the cycle of destructive "warlord" conflicts and putting the new Nanjing government on a sound financial footing. Many Chinese shared this goal, with some describing demobilization as the critical issue upon which the future of the Republic of China depended: a proverbial "acid test" of the Nationalist revolution. Though unsuccessful in the end, Chiang came close to achieving his goal. He built a broad consensus among the major military commanders in support of a plan to reduce the size of China's military, to restrict military spending, and to create a centralized command structure. This article reexamines the course of events in early 1929 in order to better understand this demobilization movement and the reasons for its failure, which had such profound implications for the Nationalist regime.