The Historical Roots of the Taiwan Issue

Week 2

Week 2: Teaching Outline

• Taiwan’s Complex History

• Taiwan’s Return to China (1945)

• Impact of the Korean War on Taiwan

1. Taiwan’s Complex History

• Formosa (From Portuguese, 16th century)

• Dutch occupation of southwest Taiwan (1624-1662)

• Japanese Colonial Rule (1895-1945) • 4 foreign countries have their flags

flown over Taiwan before 1945• Returning to China (1945--)

• Length of Taiwanese history:400 years?

1. Taiwan’s Complex History

• Length of Taiwanese history (2200)

– Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.)

– Three Kingdoms Period (220-280 A.D.)

– Sui Dynasty (589-618 A.D.)

– Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368 A.D)

– Zheng Chenggong Regime (1662-1683)

– Part of Fukien Province (1683-1884)

– Taiwan Province (1885-1895)

Taiwan before 1895

• 1662: Zheng Chenggong expelled the Dutch, remained loyal to Ming Dynasty

• 1683: Qing defeated Zheng• 1885: Qing declared Taiwan a

province

Taiwan Republic Stamp and Post Mark(1895)

The Nature of Taiwan Republic

• Taiwan Republic (1895)

• National title and flag

– Yongqing (Loyal to Qing Quart forever)

• Its relations with the Qing court

– Tiger and Dragon

Japan’s Colonial Rule of Taiwan

• Transformative impact• Contrasting historical memories and

interpretation of pre-1945 Taiwan held by different political and ethnic groups

• The Taiwan Cultural Association and Formosan nationalism

• Local elections since 1935• Assimilating Taiwanese into Japanese citizens

1895 to 1945Taiwan- 1895: Taiwan became a colony of Japan; economic development followed to make Taiwan a “model colony”- 1920s: home rule movement - 1930: final battles between Japanese and Aboriginals- ‘30s: limited local elections- ‘30s: “Japanization” campaign- ’37-’45: Taiwanese incorporated into Japanese armed forces

Mainland- 1898: reform movement- 1911: Xinhai Revolution- 1912: Republic of China founded- 1919: May 4th Movement- 1920s: struggle for national unification- 1920s-40s: conflict between CCP and GMD- 1931: Japan invaded Dongbei- ’37-’45: Anti-Japanese War

1945-1949

1945: “Retrocession” (光復 )1947: 2-28 Incident1949: Mainlanders pouring into Taiwan – altogether,1.5- 2 million “ 外省人” arrived

February 28 incident (1947)

– Background• Street vendor selling contraband

cigarettes was beaten by police officer

• A bystander was shot• Demonstrations followed and more

were killed• Brutal suppression: 10000-28000

killed

February 28 incident (1947)

– Consequences• Overseas independence movement• Historical memory• 2.28 peace park in Taipei

ROC to Taiwan

• KMT regime moving to Taiwan (1949) – Adding more than 1.5 millions to

Taiwanese population

• The U.S. hands-off policy in the early 1950

3. Impact of the Korean War on Taiwan (June 25, 1950)

– Seventh Fleet into the Strait– Not salvaging a corrupt government,

but preventing the spread of Communism (Mutual Defense Treaty)

– “The determination of the future status of Formosa must await the restoration of security in the Pacific, a peace settlement with Japan, or consideration by the United States” (President Truman)

Retaking the Mainland Militarily

Using Taiwan as the counterattacking base against the mainland in order to recover the ROC (50s to 60s)

Retaking the mainland?

• “Recovery of the mainland would require 70% political works and 30% military efforts”

• “Three People’s Principles Unify China”

Authoritarian Era (威權時代 )

• Constitution suspended, martial law imposed until unification was complete

• Single-party government• Repression of dissent• Dedication to 國民黨

goal: national unification• Discrimination against 本省人 and 本土文化

历史脉络• 元朝（澎湖巡检司的设立）• 荷兰殖民统治（ 1624 － 1662 ）• 明郑 (1662-1683)

– 反清复明– 图谋吕宋 ( 海商资本的冲动 VS. 长城文化

的防御性 )• 福建台湾府 (1683-1884)

– 为防台而治台 ( 东南七省之屏障 VS. 动乱之渊 )

历史脉络• 台湾省 (1884-1895)

• 中法战争和台湾建省• 台湾民主国（ 1895 ）

– 永清（国号）– 唐景崧（台湾巡抚）与张之洞 ( 南洋大臣）

• 日据台湾（ 1895 － 1945 ）• 光复初期（ 1945 － 1949 ）

– “中华民国”到台湾• 朝鲜战争和美国因素的介入