Nanking government further differed from fascist governments, and resembled the Russian, in that it was democratic in intent; its dictatorial character was avowedly temporary. Throughout the period during which the Kuomintang ruled from Nanking, democracy was regarded as a definite goal of governmental policy. The Japanese invasions culminating in open war made impossible the immediate abrogation of Kuomintang party dictatorship. Yet when war broke out in 1937, the National Government was on the verge of reconstituting itself as a democracy; but now the regime itself became itinerant, moving into the hinterland. The Nanking government was organized under Kuomintang rule in a form unique among modern states. Its three most distinctive features were: (1) the concentration of power in the supreme agencies; (2) a fivefold division of power and function through the _yüans_; and (3) the absence of parliamentary chambers.[3] While the Organic Law was in effect as a constitution (1928-1931), the government was headed by a president wielding considerable power and a Council of State which served as the chief control agency. In 1931 a National People's Convention made up of representatives of the Kuomintang and of occupational groups adopted a Provisional Constitution.[4] Under this constitution the power of the president was sharply reduced, making him practically a titular officer. The Council of State became a more formalized agency, and the greater weight of government routine was placed in the Executive _Yüan_. Under the draft constitution proposed for the period after the end of party dictatorship a presidential system was to have been inaugurated. The years 1931-1937 were characterized by the use of the Council of State as the supreme agency of formal government. The president of the National Government was little more than the chairman of the Council. The Council received instructions from the Central Political Council, and transmitted them to the five regular departments of government in the form of policies. Great as its powers may seem to be, the Council of State was largely an intermediary agency, although the personal influence of its members was extensive. The Council, with its administrative adjuncts, was of value in that it provided an institutional center for the government and gave governmental form to the commands of the party. There was no judicial check on the executive or the legislative branches. The fivefold division of powers (adopted as the _yüan_ system) is one of the most original points in Sun Yat-sen's political scheme. _Yüan_ is an almost untranslatable Chinese term signifying a "public body" and used in modern China to designate the five great coordinate departments of government. PARTY MEMBERSHIP PARTY CONGRESS CENTRAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CENTRAL SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE STANDING COMMITTEE STANDING COMMITTEE CENTRAL POLITICAL COUNCIL