In 1926, Chiang Kai-shek launched the Northern Expedition. The purpose of this was to eliminate the threats from the rival Beiyang Army and warlords like Zhang Zuolin, Wu Peifu, and Feng Yuxiang. Under his leadership, the army wiped out the warlords and succeeded in controlling half of China.

A problem arose in 1927 when Chiang discovered that a heavily communist faction led by Wang Jingwei was set up in Wuhan province. That government, following orders from Soviet liaison Mikhail Borodin, tried to strip Chiang of his powers. Wang met Chiang in Shanghai to discuss a power-sharing agreement. The government in Wuhan rejected the compromise and prepared to go to Shanghai, where Chiang Kai-shek was seated.

After the Shanghai Massacre, Chiang worked to convince the provincial leaders to give up their independent local governments and turn them over to a central government. After hearing about the cruelty of Chiang's forces, the people were afraid and conformed. Chiang Kai-shek then moved the Kuomintang government from Beijing to Nanjing and kept it there for ten years, which is why it was called the "Nanjing decade."