Is the Kuomintang - the nationalist party of China - the villain it is sometimes portrayed to be? Or is it the embodiment of the political and moral good that partisans have claimed it to be? The party has managed a feat of economic modernization in Taiwan and has become a proponent of democracy, yet its reputation has been marred by brutal acts of repression and ineptitude. Focusing on the role of Kuomintang party elites in the democratization process in Taiwan, this book considers the Kuomintang's evolution from a Leninist state party to a fractious one in a competitive political system.
Preface -- Theoretical Considerations -- Rebuilding the Party on Taiwan
-- Political Calm and Slow Change -- Chiang Ching-kuos Break from the Past
-- Liberalizing the Political System -- Inner-Party Conflict and the
Emergence of Democracy -- Testing Democratic Reforms in Taiwan -- Concluding
Analysis: The Kuomintang and Political Development on Taiwan
Steven J. Hood is associate professor of politics and international relations at Ursinus College.
