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The era of the Republic of China on Taiwan (Chinese: 中華民國在臺灣), also known as the Taiwan Post-war Era (Chinese: 臺灣戰後時期), refers to the history of Taiwan since the 1945 end of World War II when the government of the Republic of China (ROC) has administered Taiwan.

Overview

Early post-war societal situation

In 1945, World War II ended. Japan was defeated and signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender. The then representative of the Republic of China, He Yingqin, received Taiwan on behalf of the government and set up a Taiwan provincial executive office different from the Chinese mainland provincial-level executive system. Chen Yi took up the office of Taiwan province Chief Executive. However, because of the serious corruption among Chen Yi and the various bureaucrats who took positions in the executive office, discipline in the military police was undermined. Chen Yi himself monopolized power. Adding to that, the post-war economy was falling apart, causing the life of the people to fall into difficult circumstances. The government's hurried "Dejapanization" created cultural estrangement. Some of the newcomers (mainlanders) treated the old timers ('native' Taiwanese) as social and economic inferiors and unequals. Finally, in the beginning of 1947, searches and arrests for opium triggered conflict between police and the people, leading to a full eruption in the 228 Incident. Several weeks later, the national government sent troops to Taiwan to put it down and later continued with the Clean Countryside (清鄉) movement. Many prominent individuals and others who had nothing to do with the incident were killed or imprisoned without trial after being arrested or just disappeared. This incident was a prologue to the 1950s white terror governmental heavy handedness and buried the seeds of ethnic antagonism and the Taiwanese independence movement. After the 228 incident, the Nationalist government adjusted the local Taiwan government, abolishing the Taiwan provincial executive office and creating the Taiwan provincial government. A son of scholars, Wey Daw-ming, became the first governor of Taiwan province and, during his administration, reduced the scope of public enterprise. In 1949, Chen Cheng became governor of Taiwan. He reformed the currency system (the old Taiwan dollar exchanged at a ratio of 40,000:1 for the New Taiwan dollar) and implemented the 375 Rent Reduction (三七五減租), easing the inflationary situation.

From authoritarianism to democracy

In 1949, governance of the mainland changed. The National Revolutionary Army and the government of the Republic of China retreated to Taiwan. The Communist Party of China declared the establishment of the People's Republic of China. In the early period when the Nationalist Party was newly defeated and come to Taiwan, the party continually threatened to counterattack the mainland, but without the the power of the United States to coordinate with, there were only a few small-scale military campaigns. Up through the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, after which the two sides temporarily ceased fire, the counterattack could not be realized. The Nationalist party government through unified control of martial law, the Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion and similar laws, coordinating parties, government, the military and secret services kept a powerful hold on government and society and strengthened one-party rule and a despotic governmental organization. Many people because of real or accused opposition were illegally persecuted through legal action; many were accused without cause of being "bandit spies"(匪諜) (see White terror).

A step towards political party rotation

In the 2000 presidential election, Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was elected president with Annette Lu as vice-president. This was the first political party rotation in the history of the ROC. The splitting of Kuomintang vote was what apparently led to this result. In August 2002, President Chen openly indicated that the relationship between Taiwan and the mainland is "One Country on Each Side". This declaration led to disputations throughout Taiwan, in mainland China and in the United States. In 2004, the day before the 2004 presidential election, there was an assassination attempt on President Chen and Vice-President Lu. They were re-elected the next day, although the Pan-Blue Coalition disputed the legality of the result due to the close margin of the election and the shooting incident. In 2005, an ad hoc National Assembly passed constitutional amendments ruling that elections for the Legislative Yuan change to use of parallel voting, aiding the formation of a two-party system. As a result of scandals in the DPP administration, on September 9, 2006, former chairperson of the DPP, Shih Ming-teh, led an anti-Chen Shui-bian campaign called the Million Voices against Corruption, President Chen Must Go but did not achieve the desired result of President Chen's resignation.

Changes in cross-straits relations and international position

At the end of 1943, the Cairo Declaration was issued, including among its clauses that all territories of China, including Taiwan, that Japan had occupied would be returned to the Republic of China. This declaration was reiterated in the Potsdam Declaration, issued in 1945. Later that year, World War II ended, and Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration, surrendering unconditionally. The Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces commanded that the Japanese forces in Taiwan surrender to the government of the Republic of China. On October 25, 1945 in Taipei Zhongshan Hall, the Japanese government in Taiwan surrendered to the representative of the Republic of China, Chen Yi, the Republic of China formally receiving Taiwan. In 1951, Japan formally signed the Treaty of San Francisco, but, due to the unclear situation of the Chinese civil war, the peace treaty did not clearly indicate to whom Taiwan's sovereignty belonged. In the second article of the 1952 Treaty of Taipei, following the Treaty of San Francisco, Japan reiterated its abandonment of sovereignty of Taiwan, the Pescadores, the Spratlys and the Paracels. In 1972, Japan and the Republic of China broke relations, declaring the Treaty of Taipei to invalidated. At the same time, Japan and the People's Republic of China agreed to and signed the Joint Communiqué of the Government of Japan and the Government of the People's Republic of China. The question of the political status of Taiwan or whether the two sides are moving toward unification or continuing a state of independence is still unresolved. The assertion of the People's Republic of China both domestically and internationally is "Whether from the perspective of history, government or international law, Taiwan is a inseparable part of China. The political status of Taiwan is a Chinese domestic affair, and, under the premise of no hope for unification as well as certain other (conditions), (the Chinese government) does not abandon (the possibility of) the use of force to resolve it." Those persons promoting Taiwan independence feel that, because of the Treaty of San Francisco signed by Japan and the United States and the unclear indication of the handover of Taiwan's sovereignty (the status of Taiwan was not decided on), Taiwan's future direction should be decided upon by the people of Taiwan and that the People's Republic of China not be permitted to threaten the use of force. On March 14, 2005, the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China passed the Anti-Secession Law, making clear for the first time in legal form the One-China principle. Some people in Taiwan felt dissatisfied about this, and, on March 26, 1,000,000 people went to the streets of Taipei, participating in the 326 Protect Taiwan Demonstration, indicating their strong dissatisfaction with and protest of the law. Beginning on April 26, 2005, KMT, DPP and various political parties visited mainland China, creating an upsurge in the politcal dialogue between the two sides, but cross-straits relations are still full of uncertainty.

Up until the 1970's, the international community generally considered the Kuomintang on Taiwan to be the legal representative of China, but acknowledgment of the nation of the People's Republic of China slowly increased. In 1954, the Republic of China and the United States signed the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States of America and the Republic of China. In 1971, the United Nations acknowledged the People's Republic of China to be the sole legal representative of China (United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758). The KMT government strengthened their "Han and the thief cannot both stand"(漢賊不兩立) stance and announced withdrawal from the United Nations. After this, the international position of the Republic of China slid to a large extent. In 1979, when the United States broke relations, it created an even more severe attack on the diplomatic plight of the ROC. In recent years, the ROC government has tried several times to apply anew to enter international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization, but, under the opposing side's powerful obstruction, there has been no success.

Economic growth

Societal changes

Culture of plurality

References

1. Land Reform Museum(土地改革紀念館). "Looking for History (尋訪歷史)" (in Traditional Chinese).
2. Lin Hsin-huei (林新輝) (2000-04-08). "Constitutional Amendment, Kuomintang version, National Assembly Seats ad hoc (修憲國民黨版 國大定位任務型)" (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 2007-06-28.

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