By the time Sun died in 1925, Chiang had maneuvered himself to inherit the leadership of Nationalist party. With his well-trained army and modern tactics, Chiang set about reunifying China, conquering warlords one by one. In 1927, having brought most of China under control, Chiang suddenly turned his sights on his own allies in the First United Front, launching a White Terror campaign to round up and execute communists. Beginning in Shanghai, communists were driven from the cities into the countryside, effectively launching a civil war.