The Tangwai (Chinese: 黨外; Pinyin: Dǎngwài), or "Non-Party" movement was an anti-KMT political movement that saw independent, pro-democracy politicians contesting the KMT in local elections by forming a loose alliance and endorsing one-another. While the first use of the term can be dated to the 1950s, it was revived by Kang Ning-hsiang in the early 1970s. The movement became especially powerful around the late 70s, paving the way for the founding of the Democratic Progressive Party in 1986.
Obstacles to creating an organised opposition against KMT one-party rule were plenty, the two most important being the KMT itself, and the fact that the only ideological thread connecting the movement's constituent members was the commitment to bringing down the KMT, though there were fierce disagreements even about how this is to be brought about. The movement and subsequently the party remained divided into powerful factions, such as Formosa and New Tide.
