A Study On Chiang Ching-kuo Impelled Political Transition In Taiwan (1972-1988)

Since nineteen-seventies to nineteen-eighties, with the changing international environment, and the reorganization of class structure which was brings by the growth of economy in Taiwan, Taiwan's political condition also have a transition from the authoritarian regime to liberalization. The factors which affect the political transition of Taiwan are various, among which the highest policy-maker in the Kuomintang, Chiang Ching-kuo played a very important role. In this thesis, Chiang Ching-kuo's guiding and impelling function in Taiwan's political transition by approaching to Chiang Ching-kuo's subjective factors and his politics, and so on. It is vitally significant in the study on both Chiang Ching-kuo and on Taiwan's political transition.The introduction part generally reviews the related researches in this field, and the research methods.Chapter One will study Chiang Ching-kuo's subjective factors, starting with the main experience in his life, whose thought was advantageous to impels Taiwan'political transition.Chapter Two will discuss Chiang Ching-kuo's rational choice when facing changing international environment and the society transition of Taiwan as well as his great efforts when facing every kind of resistance in the executation of the policies. Chapter Three is mainly about a series of political reforms Chiang Ching-kuo has taken, which opened Taiwan's political transition. This chapter can be divided into two parts: one was when Chiang Ching-kuo became the leader of the"the Executive Council"in 1972, he selected the political elites, and increased the amount of elected representatives, which promoted the political conformity and expanded the political participation; the other was in 1986 after the 12th sessions of the third Kuomintang plenary conferences, along with a series of open policy such as rescinding martial law, releasing Party prohibition and so on, Taiwan's political transition started.Then we can draw the conclusion that Taiwan's political transition is impelled basipetally by the ruling Kuomintang, in which policy-maker Chiang Ching-kuo played the decisive role. He temporized and implemented a series of epoch-making significant reforms, which has opened the door for Taiwan's political transition. This kind of positive response, not only has realized Taiwan's political transition, but also has guaranteed"the soft landing"of the transition from centralization to political liberalization. In this point, Chiang Ching-kuo's far-reaching influence on political democratization of Taiwan, is worth recognition.