White Terror (Taiwan)

The White Terror was a period of political repression in Taiwan, especially under martial law from 1949 to 1987, when authorities imprisoned, executed, or silenced people suspected of opposing the government.

Taiwan martial law: The legal regime that suspended ordinary civil liberties in Taiwan from 1949 until 1987. It gave the government exceptional powers used to detain and prosecute alleged opponents.
February 28 incident: A 1947 uprising and government crackdown in Taiwan that began after an assault on a woman selling cigarettes. Its mass violence preceded martial law and shaped the political climate in which the White Terror developed.
Retrocession of Taiwan: The transfer of Taiwan from Japanese rule to Republic of China administration in 1945. The new administration's contested rule set the stage for conflict and repression.
Democratization of Taiwan: Taiwan's transition from one-party authoritarian rule to competitive democratic government, beginning in the late 1980s. Political liberalization enabled public scrutiny of past repression.
White Terror in China: A period of political purges and executions by the Kuomintang government in mainland China, especially in 1927. The shared name describes a different campaign, earlier and centered on the mainland.
Taiwan Garrison Command: A military security organization responsible for internal security and enforcing martial law in Taiwan. It investigated suspected dissent and helped administer the machinery of repression.
Keelung High School Incident: A 1950 political case in which students and teachers were accused of involvement in a communist organization. The case illustrates how alleged underground affiliations brought young people into the security system.
Chinese Civil War: A conflict between the Chinese Communist Party and the Republic of China government, ending in the latter's retreat to Taiwan. The government's defeat on the mainland intensified its anti-communist security policies in Taiwan.
Transitional justice in Taiwan: Measures in Taiwan to investigate authoritarian-era abuses, disclose records, and address victims and historical memory. It directly confronts the institutions and harms associated with the White Terror.
Taiwan under Japanese rule: The period from 1895 to 1945 when Taiwan was governed as a colony of the Japanese Empire. Colonial repression preceded the Republic of China regime but involved a different state and political setting.

Linked from 16 pages