Taiwan and Beyond: Chinese Settler Cultures - Assignment Example

Taiwan and Beyond: Chinese Settler Cultures Name Institution’s name Date Taiwan and Beyond: Chinese Settler Cultures How did Cross-Straits rivalries and Cold War tensions affect Taiwan in the period between the 1950s and the 1970s? Was the KMT simply a pawn in the struggles between the US and the communist world, or was the KMT able to pursue its own agenda? Introduction The period between the 1950s and the 1970s is significant in the history of Taiwan. Indeed, the present-day Taiwan can attribute much of its current conditions to the events that happened throughout this moment. The beginning of 1945 ushered Taiwan to a period of being under the administration of the KMT, after the ROC government lost its hold Of China during the civil war. The rivalries that ensued and the pressures of the Cold War affected Taiwan greatly because it was under the leadership of the ROC government. This essay will discuss how the Cross-Straits rivalries and Cold War tensions affected Taiwan between the 1950s and the 1970s. Body Indeed, Cross-Strait rivalries and Cold War tensions had a huge impact on Taiwan in the period between 1950s and 1970s. After the Republic of China’s armed forces lost in the Chinese civil war in 1949, the government moved to Taiwan (Chervin, 2013 p. 300). After the termination of World War II in 1945, the Japanese who had taken hold of Taiwan withdrew from the country, and it became part of the Republic of China. So, after the end of the war, Taiwan was in need of a political and economic awakening, and with the relocation of the Republic of China’s administration and the KMT to Taiwan, there was hope that the challenges that the people of Taiwan faced could be solved (Tubilewicz, 2005 p.458). However, it is worth noting that the cross-straits rivalries and cold war tensions presented mixed reactions to Taiwan. During the initial years following the ROC administration’s relocation from the Chinese mainland into Taiwan, the relationship between the people of Taiwan and the new administration was harsh, and the people expressed fears over their political, cultural and economic future (Chiang, 2011 p 171). Having seen the rule of the ROC in Taipei as a break from the hostilities that the people of Taiwan faced in the hands of the Japanese rulers, the people of Taiwan were optimistic that their political and economic situation was going to change. This, however, was a short-lived hope because the ruling ROC’s administration and the KMT established an authoritarian regime in Taiwan. The establishment of an authoritarian rule by the ROC and the ruling KMT was certainly a major setback for Taiwan, and this was hugely affecting the political and economic development of Taiwan (Huebner, 1987 p. 265). The rivalry between the ROC and the PRC contributed to the politically, culturally and economically oriented challenges that Taiwan faced. After the defeat of the ROC by the PRC in the control of the Chinese mainland, the ROC, under the leadership of Chiang Kai-Shek, maintained their ambition of taking back the control of China’s mainland (Huebner, 1987 p. 265). It is this rivalry that often overlooked the interests of the people of Taiwan and forced the Republic of China and the KMT to invest in counter attacks instead of rebuilding Taiwan’s political and economic structures. Military campaigns staged by the ROC government against the PRC government were evident in the 1950s, and this was an expression of how much the ruling KMT was willing to take to ensure that it reigned supreme over the Peoples Republic of China in mainland China (Tucker, 1994 p. 102). In other words, even after the relocation of the Republic of China’s government to Taiwan, Chiang was still convinced that he could reclaim the control of mainland China. Consequently, because of the political ambitions of ROC’s government, the people of Taiwan endured a harsh regime. Though by mid 1950s, the ruling ROC under Chiang had committed itself to the reconstruction of Taiwan’s economy through the establishment of manufacturing industries, it is important to note that the Cross-Straits crisis were greatly affecting the capacity of Taiwan to establish its economic grounding (Tuker, 2005 p. 116). The expectations that the people of Taiwan had on the government of the Republic of China after it relocated to Taiwan turned out to be different. In order to maintain its political supremacy, the ruling Kuomintang sought to introduce an authoritarian regime under martial law. Through this law, Chiang’s regime exercised a powerful control over Taiwan and made the people completely subject to the demands of the ruling government Torelli, 2012 p. 176). This meant that the civil liberties of the people of Taiwan were largely violated by the excesses of the authoritarian rule. As a result of the martial law regime, any form of opposition to the way the ruling government operated was met with fierce repercussions; hence, the people of Taiwan became subjects to the authoritarian rule of the ROC government. Jail sentences to those who opposed the system of government were an indication that the political freedoms of Taiwan were being swept under the carpet. It was not only the Cross-Strait rivalries that posed as a challenge to Taiwan, but also the international tensions during the period between the 1950s and the 1970s. After the end of the Second World War, there emerged a period of political and economic tensions between the Soviet Union and the U.S. The communist world and the capitalist world had ideological differences that brought about international tensions between nations. The Cold War tensions were heavily evident in the rivalry between the government of the Republic of China and PRC. Despite its relocation to Taiwan, the Republic of China was widely recognized as the rightful government of China by the international community as opposed to the People’s Republic of China. The PRC held communist ideas, thus it was widely an ally to nations that subscribed to the communist ideology (Mao, 2012 p. 150). In this respect, the Cold War period, after the termination of World War II in 1945, also affected Taiwan in various respects. To begin with, it is notable to point out that the martial law and authoritarian regime that the KMT practised in Taiwan acted as an instrument of fighting the spread of communism ideas in the state. Since the martial law policy was aimed at stopping the infiltration of communism in the country, political rebellion among the native Taiwanese was not tolerated at all (Tucker, 1994 p 50). As discussed earlier, the strong enforcement of martial law as a strategy to fight the Cold War denied the people of Taiwan the political and economic changes that they needed in order to overcome the challenges between the 1950s and 1970s. This implied that Taiwan lacked the democratic principles that needed to lift it from the political and economic setbacks that they were facing. Moreover, the Cold War also brought tensions between the US and the Kuomintang in respect to the mode of governance. The KMT expressed great distrust towards the US, especially during the earlier years as it established its ground in Taiwan. The KMT believed that it did not share much with the US, and thus, this affected the internal structures of Taiwan as the Republic of China sought to enforce its political agenda in Taiwan. Since the US, which was a global power during the Cold War, sought to diplomatically recognize the PRC, this was not well received by Chiang in Taiwan, and as a consequence, international tensions mounted greatly, affecting the effective transition of the government of the ROC in Taiwan (Su, 1992 p. 37). The desire of the US to establish diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China collapsed after it participated in the Korean War (Su, 1992 p. 37). As a result, the US shifted its attention from Beijing to Taipei and started to diplomatically recognize the ROC under Chiang Kai-Shek (Chao, and Lin, 2011 p. 215). The shifting allegiances in the international sphere were fuelled by the continuing Cold War tensions, and consequently, this meant that Taiwan could not enjoy stability politically. Since Taiwan was under the rule of the KMT, the tensions that affected the Republic of China were also affecting Taiwan directly. For instance, in 1971, the United Nations recognized the PRC government as the rightful representative in the United Nations (Su, 1992 p. 37). This decision angered the ROC government and increased the tension between Taiwan and the international community. The loss of the ROC government as the legitimate representative of China in the United Nations was a huge blow to Taiwan because of the diplomatic crisis that followed. The United States shifted its diplomatic support to the PRC government in Beijing. Of course, this meant that the US had abandoned the ROC government in Taiwan. Additionally, the recognition of PRC by the international community meant that the ROC government and Taiwan were limited in the international sphere. These issues posed a serious challenge to the democratic and economic development of Taiwan. Based on the activities of the KMT, since its relocation from mainland China to Taiwan, it is apparent that it had an agenda that it wanted to accomplish. The main agenda of the KMT was to establish a strong base that could enable it to eventually reclaim the control of mainland China from the PRC. The military campaigns that the KMT organized against the PRC government are an indication that it had a goal of ruling the mainland China. Moreover, the constant international pressure during the Cold War period shows that the ROC government was using Taiwan as a stepping stone in achieving its political and economic goals. Conclusion It is certain that the cross-straits rivalries and Cold War tensions had a huge effect on Taiwan. The rivalries between the ROC and PRC governments were detrimental to the political and economic growth of Taiwan as they led to the introduction of policies that limited the democratic prospects of Taiwan between 1950 and the 1970s. The international pressure of the Cold War also contributed in defining the economic and political structures of Taiwan at the time. The KMT wanted to recollect itself and fight to reclaim the rulership of mainland China, and Taiwan happened to be base for the recollection agenda. References Chao, H. and Lin, H. (2011). “Beyond the carrot and stick: the political economy of US military aid to China, 1945-1951”Journal of Modern Chinese History 5 (2)199-216 Chervin, R. H. (2013). “Turmoil in the Taiwan Strait: Wellington Koo and ROC foreign policy, 1953-1956”. East Asia: An International Quarterly 30 (4) 291-306 Chiang, B. (2011). “A special intermittence and continuity in local history: the Chinese diaspora and their hometown in battlefield Quemoy during 1949-1960s”Journal of Chinese Overseas 7 (2) 169-186 Huebner, J. W. (1987). ‘The abortive liberation of Taiwan’, China Quarterly 110 256-275. Mao, J. (2012). “The specter of Yalta: Asia Firsters and the development of conservative internationalism Journal of American-East Asian Relations 19 (2) 132-156 Su, G. (1992). ‘The making of American policy towards Taiwan, 1948-1955’, Journal of Oriental Studies 30 (2) 25-40 Tucker, N. B. (1994).Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the United States, 1945-1992: uncertain friendships, New York: Twayne Publishers; Toronto: Maxwell Macmillan Canada; New York: Maxwell Macmillan International. Torelli, A. (2012). “The costs of realism: the Nixon administration, the People's Republic of China, and the United Nations”Journal of American-East Asian Relations 19 (2), 157- 182 Tubilewicz, C. (2005). “Taiwan and the Soviet Union during the Cold War [1949-88]” Communist and Post-Communist Studies 38 (4) 457-473 Tuker, N. B (2005) “Taiwan expendable? Nixon and Kissinger go to China” Journal of American History 92 (1) 109-135 Read More

The rivalry between the ROC and the PRC contributed to the politically, culturally and economically oriented challenges that Taiwan faced. After the defeat of the ROC by the PRC in the control of the Chinese mainland, the ROC, under the leadership of Chiang Kai-Shek, maintained their ambition of taking back the control of China’s mainland (Huebner, 1987 p. 265). It is this rivalry that often overlooked the interests of the people of Taiwan and forced the Republic of China and the KMT to invest in counter attacks instead of rebuilding Taiwan’s political and economic structures.

Military campaigns staged by the ROC government against the PRC government were evident in the 1950s, and this was an expression of how much the ruling KMT was willing to take to ensure that it reigned supreme over the Peoples Republic of China in mainland China (Tucker, 1994 p. 102). In other words, even after the relocation of the Republic of China’s government to Taiwan, Chiang was still convinced that he could reclaim the control of mainland China. Consequently, because of the political ambitions of ROC’s government, the people of Taiwan endured a harsh regime.

Though by mid 1950s, the ruling ROC under Chiang had committed itself to the reconstruction of Taiwan’s economy through the establishment of manufacturing industries, it is important to note that the Cross-Straits crisis were greatly affecting the capacity of Taiwan to establish its economic grounding (Tuker, 2005 p. 116). The expectations that the people of Taiwan had on the government of the Republic of China after it relocated to Taiwan turned out to be different. In order to maintain its political supremacy, the ruling Kuomintang sought to introduce an authoritarian regime under martial law.

Through this law, Chiang’s regime exercised a powerful control over Taiwan and made the people completely subject to the demands of the ruling government Torelli, 2012 p. 176). This meant that the civil liberties of the people of Taiwan were largely violated by the excesses of the authoritarian rule. As a result of the martial law regime, any form of opposition to the way the ruling government operated was met with fierce repercussions; hence, the people of Taiwan became subjects to the authoritarian rule of the ROC government.

Jail sentences to those who opposed the system of government were an indication that the political freedoms of Taiwan were being swept under the carpet. It was not only the Cross-Strait rivalries that posed as a challenge to Taiwan, but also the international tensions during the period between the 1950s and the 1970s. After the end of the Second World War, there emerged a period of political and economic tensions between the Soviet Union and the U.S. The communist world and the capitalist world had ideological differences that brought about international tensions between nations.

The Cold War tensions were heavily evident in the rivalry between the government of the Republic of China and PRC. Despite its relocation to Taiwan, the Republic of China was widely recognized as the rightful government of China by the international community as opposed to the People’s Republic of China. The PRC held communist ideas, thus it was widely an ally to nations that subscribed to the communist ideology (Mao, 2012 p. 150). In this respect, the Cold War period, after the termination of World War II in 1945, also affected Taiwan in various respects.

To begin with, it is notable to point out that the martial law and authoritarian regime that the KMT practised in Taiwan acted as an instrument of fighting the spread of communism ideas in the state. Since the martial law policy was aimed at stopping the infiltration of communism in the country, political rebellion among the native Taiwanese was not tolerated at all (Tucker, 1994 p 50). As discussed earlier, the strong enforcement of martial law as a strategy to fight the Cold War denied the people of Taiwan the political and economic changes that they needed in order to overcome the challenges between the 1950s and 1970s.

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