Asian Figures (Misc.)- Set 7 People

Miscellaneous Asian Figures

Chiang Kai-shek

(China)

Leader of Chinese Nationalist Party

Fought Japanese invasion and Chinese communists under Mao Zedong

Last Civil War: fled to Taiwan in 1949 and ruled it as President of the Republic of China.

Ho Chi Minh

(Vietnam)

Founder of Viet Minh and North Vietnam’s first leader

Led struggled for Vietnam’s independence from France and US.

Kim Il Sung

(North Korea)

Founding Leader of North Korea (1948-1994)

Led invasion of South Korea in 1950, starting the Korean War.

Ngo Dinh Diem

(South Vietnam)

Anti-communist president of South Vietnam (1955-1963)

Supported by US but lost favor due to authoritarian rule and religious opposition

Assassinated in a 1963 coup (with US approval) that destabilized South Vietnam

Ngo Dinh Nhu

(South Vietnam)

Diem’s brother and advisor

Head of Secret police; deeply unpopular due to corruption

Assassinated alongside Diem.

Nguyen Van Thieu

(South Vietnam)

President of South Vietnam (1967-1975)

Relied heavily on US military aid

Resigned and fled just before the fall of Saigon (1975)

Syngman Rhee

(South Korea)

First President of South Korea (1948-1960)

Fierce anti-communist; resigned and exiled after student protests in 1960

Zhou Enlai

(China)

Premier of People’s Republic of China

Second-in-command under Mao Zedong

Normalized relations with US

Mao Zedong

(China)

Leader of Communist China (People’s Republic of China) (1949-1976)

Broke w/ USSR in 1960s during Sino-Soviet Split

Known for: Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution

Deng Xiaoping

(China)

Communist leader who succeeded Mao

Initiated economic reforms and “Opening Up” policies in late 1970s.