White Terror

The White Terror (Chinese: 白色恐怖; Pinyin: Báisè kǒngbù) refers to the period of repressive authoritarian rule of the KMT party-state between the Taiwan Provincial Government's declaration of martial law in May 1949 and its termination in July 1987.

The Taiwan Garrison Command, the KMT's secret police force, was able to detain people for alleged crimes of advocating for communism, opposing reunification with the Mainland, taking pride in one's Taiwanese heritage, questioning the KMT's doctrines, expressing doubts about the feasibility of recovering the Mainland, defaming Chiang Kai-shek or his family, and several others. Constructive criticism of the state technically remained legal, but it was up to the discretion of the law enforcement to decide what constituted constructive criticism. Dissent, especially in the early years had been reduced to insignificant levels, due to most outspoken critics of the government being exiled or convicted. Estimates suggest up to 140,000 people were arbitrarily arrested, and up to 45,000 of them executed.¹²

---

Related links

• 2-28 Incident
• Amendments for the Period of Mobilisation of the Suppression of Communist Rebellion
• Central Reform Committee
• Chiang Ching-kuo
• Chiang Kai-shek
• Korean War
• Kuomintang
• Language policy of the Kuomintang
• Lifting of martial law
• Taiwan Garrison Command

---

References

1. Metzler, J.J. (2017). Return to Chinese Rule 1945-1950. In: Taiwan’s Transformation: 1895 to the Present. Palgrave Macmillan.
2. Fulda, A. (2020). The Rise and Demise of the KMT Party-State in Taiwan. In: The Struggle for Democracy in Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Routledge.
3. Phillips, S. (2007). Between Assimilation and Independence: Taiwanese Political Aspirations Under Nationslist Chinese Rule, 1945-1948. In: Taiwan: A New History. Routledge.
4. Manthorpe, J. (2008). Reform and Terror. In: Forbidden Nation: a History of Taiwan. St. Martin’s Griffin.