From the last days of dynastic rule in China in the 1910's, supporters of communism have been legion throughout the country. The official Chinese Communist Party was founded in 1921 by Chen Diuxu. At the same time, the Kuomintang, or Chinese Nationalist Party, had control of most of China, and was still riding on the flow of the rebellion that ousted the last emperor from the throne. The two parties were bitter enemies until Japan became a threat to both of their securities. The former rivals became allies, but only for a few, short years. The Nationalist leader of the time, Chiang Kai-shek, had a very pessimistic view of his communist allies; leading to the Shanghai Massacre in April of 1927, Shanghai being the target because it was the national hub for all communist activities. The Nationalist army decimated the communist population, and sent the survivors fleeing toward their last base in northern China (the mountainous Jiangxi province), which is referred to today as the Long March. After this, a tiny group of communists began to rebuild their army and numbers. The Chinese Communist Party would come to power in thanks to declining morale in the Nationalist Party, corruption in the government, an underlying desire for revolt among rural peasants, and the leadership of Mao Zedong.