| Accidental State : Chiang Kai-Shek, the United States, and the Making of Taiwan The existence of two Chinese states--one controlling mainland China, the other controlling the island of Taiwan--is often understood as a seemingly inevitable outcome of the Chinese civil war. Defeated by Mao Zedong, Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists fled to Taiwan to establish a rival state, thereby creating the "Two Chinas" dilemma that vexes international diplomacy to this day. Accidental State challenges this conventional narrative to offer a new perspective on the founding of modern Taiwan. |