The Kuomintang's Rebirth Policy toward Underground Communists:Success and Limits
Date Issued
2015
Date
2015
Author(s)
Hsieh, Pei-shan
Abstract
The conflict between the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) plays a significant role in modern China history, and this hostility has lived on after the KMT was defeated and withdrawal its army from Mainland China to Taiwan in 1949. In order to turning the tide of battle with the CCP, the KMT had gradually completed its particular way named “Rebirth.” Emerged in the early period of 1930s, not only the Rebirth policy had helped the KMT to crash the CCP at that time, but had successfully swept underground communists out in 1950s Taiwan. Instead of regarding “Rebirth” as a single punishment or regulation, which were emphasized by previous modern China and Taiwan’s history studies, this thesis attempt to view “Rebirth” as a policy with different layers of effects developed by KMT. From this perspective, we can realize how Rebirth functioned, and its widely influences. This thesis consists of three main parts. In the first part, the historical background and the impacts of Rebirth policy during the mainland period will be discussed, including the details of implementation and revision, and further analyzing the limitations of the policy after mid 1930s. While in the second part, the focus shifts to the period of KMT in Taiwan. The thesis examines that under a completely different circumstance, the way “Rebirth” policy continued and transformed, for instance, investigation of underground communists, government propaganda, and researches of CCP. Meanwhile, as we’ve known that Rebirth Communists had been key point of Rebirth policy, we will see what role Rebirth Communists played, and how KMT used them to gain the best interest in both military and politic side. The final part describes the afterward situation of Rebirth Communists, including the relationship between them and KMT, the complications among themselves, and the self-identity of individuals. While the previous studies has seen Rebirth either as a way of dealing Communists, or as a severe law for torturing the public, this thesis illustrates that Rebirth is a policy containing various functions and effects. Furthermore, with the discussion of KMT’s Rebirth policy, we find that 1949 is not a watershed moment of history, and there has been a continuation both existing in Mainland China and Taiwan. All in all, this thesis seeks to reveal the complex situation behind the seemingly peaceful scene depicted by KMT, to bring the “Rebirth” policy closer to the actual situation at that time, and to demonstrate the real responds of Rebirth Communists as they faced the contradiction between individual thinking and ideology of state machine.
Subjects
Kuomintang
communist
Rebirth
post-war
Taiwan
SDGs
Type
thesis
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