Final answer:
Chinese leaders lost control of the Nationalist Party to the Communist Party in the Chinese Civil War, leading to the establishment of the People's Republic of China and relegation of the Nationalists to Taiwan.
Step-by-step explanation:
Chinese leaders struggled to hold onto power after losing control of the Guomindang (GMD) or Nationalist Party to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during the Chinese Civil War. With the end of World War II, fighting between the GMD and CCP resumed, and despite assistance from the United States, Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist forces were defeated.
Mao Zedong's victory led to the declaration of the People's Republic of China in 1949, while the Nationalists fled to Taiwan. The United Nations and the United States continued to recognize the Nationalist government in Taiwan as the legitimate government of China until 1971 due to Cold War politics.