The Second Long March: Struggling Against the Chinese Communists Under the Republic of China (Taiwan) Constitution

by Peter Kien-Hong YU

Overview

This work, written by an expert in the politics of Mainland China and Taiwan, looks at the role the Constitution of the Republic of China has played in the development of Taiwan since 1949 and its potential influence on the People's Republic of China.

The Chinese Communists conducted the first long march for the sake of the majority of Chinese people, with the victory of MAO Zedong. In the second long march, CHIANG Kai-shek and his successors tried to convert the Chinese mainland from a Communist, totalitarian system, into a democratic, prosperous one by relying on the spirit of the Republic of China (ROC) constitution and by setting itself as a good example, in gradually guaranteeing freedom and democracy. Needless to say, this march is long and difficult.

The Second Long March challenges other models and theories on the study of the relationship between  the ROC (Taiwan area) and mainland China or the People's Republic of China (PRC) since China became politically (as opposed to legally) divided in December 1949. Arguably, it is the ROC Constitution that has helped ROC citizens to live in a non-Communist or anti-Communist political system. Actively promoting democracy and freedom on the Chinese mainland (neidi) can further guarantee the Taiwan area's survival.
The book will provide valuable scholarship of interest to anyone researching the political history of China and its prospects for democratization.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441165299
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	11/03/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Peter Kien-hong YU is Professor at Swinburne University of Technology in Sarawak, Malaysia. He also was Director of the Graduate School of International Affairs at Ming Chuan University, Professor at the National Sun Yat-sen University, and Senior Research fellow at the National University of Singapore. He is the author of over 15 books in both English and Chinese and over 90 journal articles and book chapters published in the West.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface
Chapter 1: Introductory Remarks
Chapter 2: The CHIANG Kai-shek March: A Straight Line
Chapter 3: The YAN Chia-kan March: A Short Line
Chapter 4: The CHIANG Ching-kuo March: A Meandering Line
Chapter 5: The LEE Teng-hui March: A Zig-Zag Line
Chapter 6: The CHEN Shui-bian March: A Forced, Untrodden Split Line with Sideroads
Chapter 7: Conclusion: Future Prospects
List of Important Documents
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

The Second Long March is recommended to all who want to view Taiwan's history and politics, especially its democratization, from a unique perspective. --Sanford Lakoff

"Yu deserves credit for formulating a basic theory. Few dare do this. His theory is heuristic. It makes one think. It is a useful framework for explaining Taiwan's success in democratizing, which still interests leaders of developing nations and scholars everywhere.Yu also provides an interesting look at Taiwan's politics as he goes. He is a homegrown observer and knows the ins and outs of how the system works in principle and in practice. He adds tidbits of inside information along the way, many of which have not been cited or at least assessed by other scholars. This makes the book a more interesting read.The Second Long March is recommended to all who want to view Taiwan's history and politics, especially its democratization, from a unique perspective. Why is this so important? Taiwan is the only non-negotiable issue between the United States and the People's Republic of China, the sole superpower and the world's foremost rising power, and the relationship between them is the basis of stability in the global economy and international politics." John F. Copper is the Stanley J. Buckman Professor of International Studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.

"This work is worth reading especially for the people who are intereseted in the R.O.C.'s relations with the P.R.C and the U.S. or Taiwan's political development in general after WWII because it not only provides a new theory of why the R.O.C. on Tawan has survived since 1949 but also well documents much R.O.C.-related historic information including important domestic and international political events, public statements made by politicians, news reports, scholarly works, etc. in the period from 1949 to 2008." Journal of Chinese Political Science, Vol 16, No 3, 2011

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