Century-of-Change-China-exhibit-catalog-1911-to-2011

The Civil War and the Divided China Issue
After the end of World War II, the anticipated civil war between the Nationalists and the Communists resumed, despite
General George Marshall’s attempt to negotiate a coalition government. With the war over, Soviet forces flooded
into Manchuria, seizing Japanese positions and forcing the surrender of the 700,000 Japanese troops still stationed
in the region. Chiang Kai-shek realized that he lacked the resources to prevent the communist takeover of Manchuria
following the scheduled Soviet departure. The CCP, by contrast, was fully aware that the United States was on the side
of the Nationalist army. But by first securing the countryside—historically its base of support—the CCP defeated the
Nationalists within four years. On October 1, 1949, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was founded.
In late 1949, having been almost totally destroyed by the CCP, Chiang Kai-shek and the last remnants of the
defeated Nationalist government relocated to Taiwan. On the island, the KMT declared Taipei the provisional
capital and tried to reinvent itself, under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek, who remained president until his death
in 1975. The Republic of China (ROC) continued to adopt political philosophies from the West, resulting in the rise
of Taiwanese nationalism, as well as rapid economic development, urbanization, and gradual democratization.
The ROC, recognized as the sole legitimate government of both mainland China and Taiwan by many nations, had
been a founding member of the United Nations (UN) and one of the five permanent members of the Security Council.
In 1971, however, the ROC’s representation was replaced by the PRC via UN General Assembly Resolution 2758.
Sun Yat-sen remains revered among Chinese leaders both in Taiwan and in mainland China. In Taiwan, he is seen
as the Father of the ROC. On the mainland, Sun is regarded as the forerunner of the revolution and as a nationalist
and proto-socialist. Today, Sun’s major political ideology—the Three Principles of the People: nationalism,
democracy, and the people’s livelihood—occupies an important place in the rhetoric of both the KMT and the CCP,
although with different interpretations.
國共內戰與兩岸分治
第二次世界大戰結束後,儘管美國政府派遣馬歇爾將軍來華調停國共之爭,並試圖透過談判斡旋成立一個聯合政
府,然而此一調停最後以失敗告終,國民黨與共產黨之間的內戰,仍無可避免。日本宣告戰敗投降後,蘇聯大批
紅軍湧入中國東北,取代日本地位,並接收該地區高達七十萬的投降日軍與武器裝備。這時蔣介石意識到,蘇聯
紅軍一旦按照預定時程撤離後,他將缺乏足夠的資源來阻擋中國共產黨部隊控制東北。相較之下,共產黨充分體
認到,美國終究是站在國民黨這一邊。然而,藉由其向來立足基礎的農村地區逐漸包圍城市,共產黨在短短四年
內,打敗了國民黨。1949年10月1日,中華人民共和國於北京成立。
1949年底,蔣介石率領國民黨的殘存兵力,轉進台灣,台北為首都,在蔣介石的威權領導下,重新站穩腳跟,並
開始推動改造革新。蔣的領導,一直延續到1975年去世為止。中華民國政府採納西方的政治哲學,促使台灣式的
民族主義崛起,同時也帶來經濟起飛、城市現代化、與漸進式的民主化。
中華民國是聯合國的創始會員國之一,也是安全理事會五大常任理事國之一,在1949年以後得相當長一段時間
裡,它被國際上許多國家承認為代表全中國(包括台灣)唯一合法的政府。然而在1971年,此一情況有了重大變化,
根據當年聯合國大會所通過的第2758號決議案,中華民國的席位,被北京的中華人民共和國所取代。
直到今天,在台灣和中國大陸,孫中山的歷史地位依然倍受尊敬。在台灣,他被尊稱為「中華民國國父」,在中
國大陸,孫則被尊稱為「偉大革命先行者」,也是一位民族主義與社會主義者。時至今日,孫中山最重要的政治
思想理念「三民主義」——民族主義、民權主義、民生主義——依然在國民黨與共產黨的政治修辭中,扮演極為
重要的角色,儘管國共雙方對於三民主義的意函,仍存在著不同的解釋。
84 Hoover Institution
A Century of Change: China 1911–2011
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