ABSTRACT
The failure of federalism in Republican China and afterwards must be understood within its rhetorical, political, and historical contexts. The demonization and delegitimatization of federalism had significant long-term consequences. To the Nationalists, local self-government and federalism came to represent little more than short-term compromises; fallback positions when they were unable to make progress toward their long-term goal of a highly centralized, bureaucratic state. Federalism and local administration suggest that many Nationalist policies on Taiwan were extensions of mainland experiences, not dramatic breaks from them. The failure of federalism in China complicates our understanding of other Cold War dichotomies. This chapter examines the hypotheses on federal failure accurately note that federalism requires consensual politics and popular support. Neither China nor Taiwan had consensual politics, nor was there much popular support for local or provincial autonomy.
