The228Incidentof Taiwan

The228IncidentwasapopularuprisingagainsttheKMTcontrolledgovernmentofTaiwanthat happenedatFebruary28,1947.ShortlyafterWorldWarTwo,GeneralChiangKaiShekusedthe acceptanceofsurrenderofJapaneseterritoryasanexcusetooccupyTaiwan.Tensionsrosebetween themainlanderChineseandthenativeTaiwanese,withonlytheChinesebeingallowedtoholdthetop jobsandhavethebestpayment,whilemassiveinflationoccurredduetothemassshippingofresources toChinaforthewaragainstthecommunists.[the]perksandprivilegeswenttoasmallnumberof people,[and]therewaswidespreadcorruption...[thegovernment]monopolizedtheprocurement,sale andexport...ofproducts.ThelivesoftheTaiwanesebecameevenmoredifficultandimpoverished. (The228Incident)The228Incidentwassparkedbymonopolyagentsshootingandkillingabystander totheirviolentdisagreementandbeatingofanoldcigarettevendor.Violenceescalatedallaround Taiwan,withprotestseruptingeverywhere.Thefollowingmilitarycrackdownresultedinthedeathsof manypeople.withconflictingclaimsrangingfromatotaloflessthan800tomorethan300,000ina singlecity.Agenerallyacceptednumberissomewherefrom18,000to28,000peoplekilledoverall duringthe228incident.The228Incidentshouldneverbeforgottenbecauseoftheextremeviolence andbrutalitythatoccurred,itsdemonstrationofpowerabuseofthegovernment,andbecauseitisstill animportantpoliticalfactorinTaiwan. The228Incidentshouldalwaysberememberedbecauseoftheextremeviolenceandbrutality thatoccurredduringthatincident.Theincidentstartedwiththeviolentbeatingofanillegalcigarette vendorbygovernmentagents.Theangrycrowdthatgatheredwasshotatastheagentsfled,killingone. Later,amassiveprotestwassetupatagovernmentbuilding.Thepublic...[demanded]thattheculprits beturnedoverforpersecution,buttheirdemandswerenotmet.(The228Incident)Atleastnotmet

thewaytheywanted.Theunarmedprotestersweremetbymachineguns,instead.Asmoreprotests rosealloverTaiwan,thegovernmentlostcontrolovermostofTaiwan.GovernorChenYisetuppeace talksandagreementswiththepublic,buthewasactuallystallingforamainlandarmytoarrive.the bodyguardofChenYirevealed...thatChenhadreceivedatelegramfromChiangorderinghimto suppressanyandallopposition:Killthemall,keepitsecret.(ChiangKaishekandthe28February 1947Incident:AReassessment)Amainlandarmyshortlyarrivedandamilitarycrackdownbegan, startingwiththekillingofthoseinvolvedintheoriginalpeacetalkssetupbyChenYi.Ontheotherhand ofthisincident,theChinesemainlandersalsosufferedalot.ThenativeTaiwaneseblamedthemfortheir difficultandimpoverishedlives,andtookouttheirangeronthem.Taiwanesewouldspeaktostrangers inJapanese,TaiwaneseorHakkatodetermine...[if]theyweremainlanders.Iftheycouldnotrespond, thevictimswerebeaten,oftenfatally.(Taiwans228IncidentandthePoliticsofPlacing Blame)Itisestimatedthatover1000Chinesemainlanderswouldkilledduringthisincident,anumber generallynotcountedintheoveralldeathtoll.The228Incidentshouldneverbeforgottenforhowthe extremeviolenceconductedbybothpartiesthatoccurredduringtheincident.

Anotherreasonwhythe228Incidentshouldalwaysberememberedisbecauseitdemonstrates powerabuseofthegovernment.Amajorcauseofthe288Incidentwastheenormousamountof corruptionamonglocalofficials,alongwiththepooroverallKMTmanagementofTaiwan.Local officialsignoredthewellbeingofthepublic,TaiwansresourceswereconstantlybeingshippedtoChina tofacilitatethefightwiththecommunists,resultinginmassiveinflation.Widespreadsmugglingandthe civilwarbetweentheChineseCommunistPartyandtheChineseNationalistParty(KMT)ledtothe outflowofgoodsandmaterialsfromTaiwan,causingpricestosoarandeconomiccrisis.(The228

Incident)Consumeritemssuchasmatches,cigarettes,liquor,andcamphorwere monopolizedbythegovernment.Alloftheaboveresultedinthelackofdailynecessitiesandeconomic issueswithinTaiwan.Thatresultedinablackmarketformonopolizeditems,andpeopleillegallybuying andsellingthemsuchastheoldcigarettevendorwhosbeatingsparkedthisincident.Inadditiontoall ofthis,thewarwiththeChineseCommunistsbroughtmoretroublethanjustinflation.Manyyoung Taiwanesemenwereconscriptedintothearmy,sometimesforcibly,andsentto...fighttheChinese Communists.(228Day)ThepoliticalsetupofTaiwanwasnotmuchbetteroffthantheeconomic portion.ThegovernmentclaimedthatTaiwanhadnotalentpolitically,andusedtheexcusethat TaiwanesedidnotunderstandtheofficiallanguageofMandarintoexcludethemfromallbutthelowest tierjobs.Aftertheoriginalprotestshaddieddown,GovernorChenYisetuppeacetalkswithleading Taiwaneseintellectualstodiscussabettersystemandtheoriginalkillings.Hewasactuallystallingfor timeforaChinesemainlandarmytoarrive.Whentheydid,The228IncidentCommitteewasdeclared anillegalorganizationandorderedtodisband.Many...whohadattended...becametargetsofthe militarycrackdown.(The228Incident)Powerabuseisabigissueintheworldandexamplesofit shouldnotbeforgotten. Anotherreasonwhythe228Incidentshouldneverbeforgottenisbecauseitisstillabig politicalfactorinTaiwantoday.TheKuomintang(KMT)claimthatthe228Incidentwascausedby corruptionamonglocalofficialsandsoldiers,andarenotapologizingforit,mostlydistancingthemselves fromtheincident.IndamagecontroltheKMThadtodifferitsview...displacedblamefromtheparty itselftoafewindividuals...ChenYi.(Taiwans228IncidentandthePoliticsofPlacingBlame)They claimthatChiangKaiShekhadnoinvolvement,andblameeverythingonthegovernorChenYi,who

waslaterexecutedfordisloyaltychargesthathadnothingtodowithTaiwan.Ontheotherhand,The DemocraticProgressiveParty(DPP)usethe228Incidenttopromotethemselves,blamingtheincident ontheKMTandChiangKaiShek,claimingthattheincidentwasastruggleforpeoplesrights.[They] capturedthesymbolicpoweroftheincidentintheirstruggleforindependence.(Taiwan's228Incident andthePoliticsofPlacingBlame)The228IncidentisstillusedbytheDPPaspropaganda,sayingthat theKMTfalsifiesandsimplifiestheincident.Inadditiontoallofthis,theKMTalsoclaimthatthe228 IncidentwassetupbytheChineseCommunistParty(CCP),despitethemhavinglittletonopresencein Taiwanatthetime.Also,the228IncidenthadnobenefittotheCCPastheywerestillfightingtheKMT inChina,andtheyhadnopowerinTaiwantoworktotheincident.They[theCCP]heraldedthe incidentasanexclamationofthewillofthepeople.(Taiwans228IncidentandthePoliticsofPlacing Blame)TheCCPtookadvantageofitanyway,claimingthatthe228Incidentwasworktowardstheir grandcommunistgovernments.BecauseithasbeenusedandisstillbeingusedinTaiwanesepoliticsto agreatextent,the228Incidentshouldneverbeforgotten. Morethan50yearshavepassedsincethe228Incidentoccurred,anditisstillanimportant eventinTaiwan,withevenanationalholidayeveryFebruary28th.Despiteithavinghappenedsucha longtimeago,the228IncidentisstillanimportanteventinTaiwan,andshouldneverbeforgotten.It stillhasamajoreffectonTaiwanesepoliticstoday,andissomethingtoconsiderineveryissue,involving everypoliticalparty.Inaddition,theviolenceandbrutalitythatoccurredduringthisincident,alongwith thecorruptionandabuseofpowerthatwentalongwiththisincidentareimportantthingsthatshould alwaysberemembered.

WorksCited: LeeShiaoFeng.The228Incident,TaipeiTimes, http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2004/02/28/2003100472/1,2/28/2004. CraigA.Smith.Taiwans228IncidentandthePoliticsofPlacingBlame,HistoryandClassics, http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/pi/article/view/4228/3465,2008. GaryRawnsley&MingYehRawnsley.ChiangKaishekandthe28February1947Incident:A Reassessment,IssuesandStudiesvol.37no.6, http://icswww.leeds.ac.uk/papers/gdr/exhibits/5/Chiang_Kaishek_and_the_228_Incident.pdf,2001. LaurenMack.228Day,About.com, http://chineseculture.about.com/od/historyofchina/a/228Day.htm,unknown. ChenTsuilien.The228Incident,EncyclopediaofTaiwan, http://taiwanpedia.culture.tw/en/content?ID=3838,2011.