Xi'an Incident

The Xi'an Incident occurred in December 1936, when General Zhang Xueliang, a warlord in northern China, arrested Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek. Frustrated by Chiang's focus on fighting Communists instead of the Japanese invasion, Zhang aimed to negotiate a united front against Japan. This unexpected capture forced Chiang to cooperate with the Communists against the Japanese threat, leading to the Second United Front. The incident was pivotal in China's resistance during World War II and reshaped the nationalist-communist dynamics in the country, highlighting internal conflicts amidst external pressures.