Despite the democratic constitution, the government under Chiang was a one-party state, consisting almost completely of mainlanders ; the " Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion " greatly enhanced executive powers, and the goal of retaking mainland China allowed the KMT to maintain a monopoly on power and the prohibition of opposition parties.

Despite the relative cultural monopoly of the capital and the centralized government, the divided geography of the country allowed distinct rural dialects to flourish during the centuries.

Despite the state's interest in protecting the public and so-called " learned professions " from having unschooled persons practising them, and the state's insistence on enforcing a monopoly, the existence of laws governing ( or defining ) " unauthorized practice of Law " does not, ipso facto mean that they will be enforced.

Despite its efforts, the North West Company was at a distinct disadvantage in competing for furs with the Hudson's Bay Company, whose charter gave it a virtual monopoly in Rupert's Land, where the best furs came from.

Despite disapproval from the Russian Empire concerning the monopoly, Nasir al-Din Shah was intent on continuing on with the concession.

Despite their vulnerability even small numbers of combat-equipped trainer aircraft in low-intensity theatres can have a disproportionate effect due to the surprise and shock of coming under air attack, especially when the attacked side believes itself to have a monopoly on air power.

Despite this, local citizens established a whaling company in 1876, and soon others defied his monopoly and formed companies.

Despite her varied accomplishments, the political legacy Söder is most known for among Swedes may be the 1980 reform that shut the stores of Systembolaget, the national alcoholic beverage retailing monopoly, on Saturdays.

Despite the establishment of the protective association, which fought the monopoly by practicing boycotts of tobacco sales, more militant farmers formed the Silent Brigade.

Despite holding a monopoly on cases in the Court of Common Pleas, Serjeants also took most of the business in the Court of King's Bench.

Despite the United States ' new status in the world, the monopoly of space militarisation is in no way certain.

Despite initial postwar plans to break up Agip, administrator Enrico Mattei converted it to a state monopoly, renamed Eni.

Despite these troubles Andronikos III secured the extension of Byzantine control over Thessaly in 1333 and Epirus in 1337, by taking advantage of succession crises in these principalities.

Despite decisively defeating the Marathas, what might have been Ahmad Shah's peaceful control of his domains was disrupted by many challenges.

Despite reforms, weak control over privatization led many successful state enterprises to bankruptcy.

Despite significant efforts, British control of Northern European waters rendered these ambitions impractical in the short term, and the Royal Navy remained firmly in control of the Atlantic Ocean.

Despite its failure to control the rodents, the cane toad was introduced to Puerto Rico in the early 20th century in the hope that it would counter a beetle infestation ravaging the sugarcane plantations.

Despite its many ( serious ) limitations, including extremely low volume, it has considerable expressive power, the player being able to control attack, duration, volume, and even provide certain subtle effects of swelling of tone and a type of vibrato unique to the clavichord.

Despite those efforts, he failed to gain control over Hungary and Bohemia in the Bohemian War ( 1468-1478 ) and was even defeated in the Austrian-Hungarian War ( 1477-1488 ) by the Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus in 1485, who managed to maintain residence in Vienna until his death five years later ( see Siege of Vienna ( 1485 )).

Despite some military attempts by the Spanish to retake it in the 18th century, most notably in the Great Siege of 1779 – 1783, the Rock has remained under British control ever since.

Despite mechanization, production difficulties related to humidity control, especially during the pressing, were still present in the late 19th century.

Despite the excommunication of Bruce and his followers by Pope Clement V, his support slowly strengthened ; and by 1314 with the help of leading nobles such as Sir James Douglas and Thomas Randolph only the castles at Bothwell and Stirling remained under English control.

Despite some insignificant resistance, especially at Durrës, Italy invaded Albania on 7 April 1939 and took control of the country, with the Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini proclaiming Italy's figurehead King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy as King of Albania.

Despite some initial expressions of enthusiasm, Hoxha and Shehu mistrusted Nikita Khrushchev's programs of " peaceful coexistence " and " different roads to socialism " because they appeared to pose the threat that Yugoslavia might again try to take control of Albania.

Despite the defeat, both sides withdrew, but Shawar remained in control with a crusader garrison in Cairo.

Despite the constitution's provisions for democracy, in practice, until 2011, Kim Jong-il exercised absolute control over the government and the country.

Despite numerous battles, neither the Umayyads nor the Asturians had sufficient forces to secure control over these northern territories.

Despite French attempts to maintain control by encouraging sectarian divisions and isolating urban and rural areas, the revolt spread from the countryside and united Syrian Druze, Sunnis, Shiites, Allawis, and Christians.

Despite SAC's establishment of " hardened " underground command and control facilities at its headquarters at Offutt AFB, LeMay and his planners knew that a direct nuclear strike by Soviet forces employing hydrogen weapons would likely destroy the facility.

Despite its limitations, Durkheim's work on suicide has influenced proponents of control theory, and is often mentioned as a classic sociological study.

Despite increasing internal disorder, Bhutan had maintained its control over a portion of the Assam Duars more or less since its reduction of Cooch Behar to a dependency in the 1760s.

Despite white attempts to control independent black congregations, especially after the Nat Turner Uprising of 1831, a number of black congregations managed to maintain their separation as independent congregations in Baptist associations.

Despite being heavily associated with firearms in his Westerns and cop movies, Eastwood has publicly endorsed gun control since at least 1973.

Despite the fact that the participant in a defined contribution plan typically has control over investment decisions, the plan sponsor retains a significant degree of fiduciary responsibility over investment of plan assets, including the selection of investment options and administrative providers.

Despite the defeat at Tours, the Umayyads remained in control of Narbonne and Septimania for another 27 years, though they could not expand further.

Despite his strong dislike of Wegener, Raeder agreed that it had been a huge mistake on the part of Germany not to have occupied Norway, the " Gate to the Atlantic " in 1914 as control of Norway would allowed Germany to escape the North Sea by breaking the British distant blockade.

Despite the fact that four of his sons ( Aban, Abd al Rahman, Muhammad and Ahmad ) were alive at the time of his death, all of them were passed over for succession.

Despite its on-field success, it was one of the four teams contracted out of existence by the National League after the 1899 season.

Despite the move away from the Valley, Charlton were promoted to the First Division as Second Division runners-up at the end of 1985 – 86, and remained at this level for four years ( achieving a highest league finish of 14th ) often with late escapes, most notably against Leeds in 1987, where the Addicks triumphed in extra-time of the play-off final replay to secure their top flight place.

Despite this, by September 1960, following the four-way division of the country, there were four separate armed forces: Mobotu's ANC itself, numbering about 12, 000, the South Kasai Constabulary loyal to Albert Kalonji ( 3, 000 or less ), the Katanga Gendarmerie which were part of Moise Tshombe's regime ( totalling about 10, 000 ), and the Stanleyville dissident ANC loyal to Antoine Gizenga ( numbering about 8, 000 ).

Despite playing in five losing Grand Finals, four between 1989 – 1995, its fans waited 44 years until it won another premiership — an AFL-record 119-point victory in the 2007 AFL Grand Final.

Despite Thomas Habington's protests, the men spent the next four days searching the house.

Despite their simple construction, the tentacles of hydras are extraordinarily extensible and can be four to five times the length of the body.

Despite efforts to restore ( or at least improve ) the popularity of the Conservative party, Labour remained far ahead in the opinion polls as the 1997 election loomed, despite the economic boom that had followed the exit from recession four years earlier, and the swift fall in unemployment.

Despite the good news off the field, and winning four out of five games to start the season, the Wizards just missed out on a playoff berth with a loss to the New York Red Bulls on the final day, finishing with a 10 – 14 – 8 record.

Despite the recent awareness and admiration of Leonardo as a scientist and inventor, for the better part of four hundred years his fame rested on his achievements as a painter and on a handful of works, either authenticated or attributed to him that have been regarded as among the masterpieces.

Despite an estimated loss of 300 lives over the course of four days, nonviolent protesters continued to return to Bamako each day demanding the resignation of the dictatorial president and the implementation of democratic policies.

James Berardinelli of ReelViews gave Generations two and a half stars out of four, saying: " Despite a reasonably original story line, familiar characters, first rate special effects, and the hallmark meeting between Captains Kirk and Picard, there's something fundamentally dissatisfying about movie.

Despite being shut out four times in ten games, the Giants recorded an 18 – 8 September to move into first by three games as the pitching staff achieved a team ERA of 1. 78, the lowest in the National League in a September stretch run since the 1965 Dodgers.

Despite initial excitement, the guidance of longtime baseball executives, Eddie Leishman and Buzzie Bavasi as well as a new playing field, the team struggled ; the Padres finished in last place in each of its first six seasons in the NL West, losing 100 games or more four times.

Despite the variability, all but four presidents have been able to appoint at least one justice.

Despite being owned by the IFC, the AMC has investment decision autonomy and is charged with a fiduciary responsibility to the four individual funds under its management.

Despite his short tenure in office, Garfield was able to appoint a Justice to the Supreme Court of the United States and four other federal judges.

Despite winning four terms as President, Blatter has often been dogged by controversy and allegations of corruption.

Despite the fact it had been nearly four years after the Daimler / Chrysler split, the fourth-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee shares a platform with the Mercedes-Benz M-Class.

Despite odds of four to one, the III Corps launched a risky attack.

Despite Von Kuhl's caution, two divisions, thirteen heavy batteries and twelve field batteries of artillery, three fighter squadrons and four other air force units were transferred from the Fourth Army.

Despite killing the Arab man with the first gunshot, he shoots the corpse four more times after a brief pause.

Despite four years of use by the incarcerees, the site also retains evidence of the ranches and of the town of Manzanar, as well as artifacts from the days of the Owens Valley Paiute settlement.

Despite the extent of Israel's quick military gains, for the first four days the general population in the Arab states believed the fabrications of Arab radio stations which claimed an Arab victory was near.

Despite this early dichotomy, recent evidence in both animals and plants has suggested that there are more than two distinct heterochromatin states, and it may in fact exist in four or five ' states ', each marked by different combinations epigenetic marks.