Abstract:
Two perspectives have been prevalent in explaining the rapid development of democratization in Taiwan: economic growth and social changes. In fact, the political dynamics of Taiwan's democratization are more complicated. There are other internal and external dynamic factors. The central argument of this dissertation is: The cross-Strait relations are the axis of Taiwan's democratization and, similarly, Taiwan's democratization has also had a strong impact on the cross-Strait relationship itself. Under the People's Republic of China's (PRC) military threat, Taiwan delayed its political reform and also maintained the KMT's one-party monopoly until 1986. Understanding the cross-Strait relationship is vital for gaining an insight into Chiang Ching-kuo's political reform, for understanding the formation of Taiwan's party system, for assessing the political dynamics of Taiwan's elections, for explaining the emergence of Taiwan's secessionism, and the recurrence of Chinese nationalism. The Taiwan model is unlike the German or Korean model. The Taiwan case is unique. This dissertation attempts to explain this unique situation with a triangle theory. This theory could explain the outer interactions among the PRC, the United States (US), and Taiwan and the inner interactions among major parties in Taiwan.