## Overview of the Nationalist Party The term “Nationalist Party” most commonly refers to the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, KMT), a major political force in modern Chinese history, though similar names are used by parties in other countries. This summary focuses on the KMT, given its global significance and enduring influence. ## What the Organization Does The Nationalist Party (KMT) is a political organization with a complex legacy. Historically, it sought to unify China under a republican government, promote nationalism, democracy, and the people’s livelihood—principles articulated by its founder, Sun Yat-sen[4]. After losing mainland China to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1949, the KMT retreated to Taiwan, where it established a government and ruled as the dominant party for decades. Today, the KMT remains a significant political entity in Taiwan, advocating for closer ties with mainland China and a cross-strait policy of “not unification, not independence, and not military confrontation”[4]. ## History Founded in 1912 by Sun Yat-sen, the KMT emerged from revolutionary groups that overthrew the Qing Dynasty[5]. Sun’s vision was a modern, unified China, but internal strife and external pressures led to a period of warlordism. In the 1920s, the KMT, under Chiang Kai-shek, consolidated power, allied briefly with the Communists, and then turned against them. The party ruled mainland China from 1928 until its defeat in the Chinese Civil War (1949), when it fled to Taiwan[4]. There, it imposed martial law and maintained authoritarian rule until democratization in the late 1980s and 1990s. ## Key Achievements - **Founding of the Republic of China**: The KMT’s early triumph was the establishment of Asia’s first republic, ending millennia of imperial rule[5].