ABSTRACT
In October 1986, President Chiang Ching-kuo announced that political parties would be allowed to organize and challenge the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) in national elections on Taiwan. President Lee Teng-hui has publicly called for greater democracy for Taiwan’s citizens though he has resisted calls to democratize the party. These disagreements have weakened the effectiveness of the KMT vis-a-vis newly established political parties. The Kuomintang contends democracy is emerging in Taiwan because of its political tutelage plan. The Kuomintang would replace tutelage with constitutional law, allowing all Chinese to realize their full rights as democratic citizens. The Kuomintang failed to realize this goal on mainland China. But in Taiwan the forces of political liberalization have steadily increased the chances of Taiwan being able to reach democratic maturity. The organizational function of the KMT has changed drastically since its reorganization on Taiwan. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.
