Taiwan
Taiwan is an island country in East Asia.
History
Taiwan (officially known as the Republic of China) is a sovereign state in East Asia now located on the island of Taiwan, which claims to be the legitimate China. It was one of the victorious powers of World War II and a founding member of the United Nations. Historically, it encompassed all of mainland China before the Kuomintang (KMT) lost control of the mainland to the Communist Party of China at the ceasefire of major hostilities of the Chinese Civil War in 1950. Since then, its authority has been limited to the island groups of Taiwan (Formosa), the Pescadores, Kinmen, and the Matsu Islands.
Over subsequent decades, the Republic of China has been commonly referred to as "Taiwan", and since the late 1970s the name "China" is commonly used to refer to the People's Republic of China (PRC). Because of diplomatic pressure from the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan) is commonly referred to as "Chinese Taipei" in international organizations. Its capital city is Taipei.
The Republic of China was established in 1912, replacing the Qing Dynasty and ending over two thousand years of imperial rule in China. It is the oldest surviving republic in East Asia. The Republic of China on mainland China went through periods of warlordism, Japanese invasion, and civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communists.
Starting in 1928, the Republic of China was ruled by the Kuomintang as an authoritarian one-party state. In the 1950s and 1960s, the KMT went through wide restructuring and decreased corruption and implemented land reform. There followed a period of great economic growth, the Republic of China became one of the Four Asian Tigers, despite the constant threat of war and civil unrest. In the 1980s and 1990s the government peacefully transitioned to a democratic system, with the first direct presidential election in 1996 and the 2000 election of Chen Shui-bian, the first non-KMT president of the ROC.
Important dates
- Wuchang Uprising 10 October 1911
- Republic established 1 January 1912
- End of Japanese rule in Taiwan 25 October 1945
- Constitution 25 December 1947
- Government relocated to Taipei 7 December 1949
