Nationalism concepts and historical significance

Nationalism

Two distinct political movements influence the course of modern Taiwanese history: groups that are pro-independence and those that favor eventual unification with mainland China. In the year 2000, the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party came into power in Taiwan, taking over from the well-established Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party). The official websites of these two major Taiwanese political parties display different approaches to the independence issue as well as to Taiwanese history and culture. The tone of writing, content, and design layout of these websites also distinguish the attitudes of these opposing political parties.

The Kuomintang enjoys the honor of being the most well-established and historically popular political party on the island of Taiwan. Started by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the Kuomintang savored relatively unchallenged political dominance until the year 2000. The Kuomintang website at http://www.kmt.org.tw/e_index.html, which only offers one page of information in the English language, only briefly mentions the peaceful turnover of power, and does not refer to opposition parties like the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). This indicates their continued confidence in the support of a large number of Taiwanese residents. Moreover, text on the Kuomintang website indicates that the party is synonymous with the nation of Taiwan: "For more than a century, the Kuomintang and the Republic of China have been inseparable." The fact that the official party website only offers one page of text in English emphasizes the nationalist stance of party ideology and underscores pride in Chinese heritage, language, and culture. A photograph accompanying the title bar of the website shows a variety of happy men and women: those who belong to the Kuomintang are those who help to define the nation of Taiwan. As the Chinese Nationalist Party, the Kuomintang promotes a strong sense of Chinese identity among residents of Taiwan as well as Taiwanese nationals living abroad. Language, ethnicity, culture, and political values are key components to the formation of national identity within the Kuomintang framework. Ties to mainland China through family lineage and business are encouraged.

The Kuomintang website emphasizes the party's inception as a "revolutionary" party in the early twentieth century and traces the evolution of party politics since 1912. By tracing the development of Taiwanese political history vis-a-vis the role of the Kuomintang, the website effectively merges the interests of Taiwan with the interests of the party. The Kuomintang depicts the history of the nation as a struggle for democracy in the face of immense opposition not only from mainland China but also from invading forces. The website makes no mention of the support of the international community or its role in the future of Taiwan's identity as a nation.

The official flag of the Kuomintang (a white sun on blue background) is displayed in stylized three-dimensional form in the upper left-hand corner of the website. Blue is the symbolic color of the pro-unification political forces in Taiwan; the pro-independence political movements are generally referred to as the "pan-green" coalition. Furthermore, the center of the flag is a globe, pointing to the Kuomintang's willingness to participate in the global community in spite of being staunchly nationalist. Their concern is not so much with the recognition of Taiwan as a separate political entity in the United Nations as it is with preserving Chinese culture within a democratic framework on the island. Unlike the websites of other Taiwanese political organizations, namely the opposing Democratic Progressive Party, the Kuomintang website displays no map of the island of Taiwan, as the Kuomintang is overtly pro-unification. As the entire Kuomintang website except for one page is published in Chinese, it is difficult for the non-Chinese speaker to assess the various political programs the party sponsors without visiting outside links.

The official website for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) at http://www.dpp.org.tw/,on the other hand, offers extensive English-language pages. Just as the theme color for the Kuomintang website is symbolically blue, so too is the DPP website theme color green. The use of color here is a subtle yet powerful reminder of the political stance of the organization. The outline of Taiwanese history differs greatly from that offered on the Kuomintang website. Here, the Kuomintang is portrayed as being a destructive political force, one that "essentially created a period of colonial rule under martial law." The DPP defines the nation as being a completely distinct political entity from mainland China and wishes to be recognized as such by the United Nations. Moreover, the DPP site draws attention to "ethnic Taiwanese" persons, who ostensibly were ignored or treated as second-class citizens by the Kuomintang. Therefore, the DPP website seeks to establish a sense of national identity based on geographic, ethnic, cultural, and historical factors. As with the Kuomintang website, though, religion is not mentioned as being integral to the formation of a Taiwanese national identity. Of utmost importance are the political values held by the citizens of the nation. Moreover, the DPP website conveys a sense of being an underdog, as until the year 2000 the DPP was indeed the political underdog in the nation. To align the needs of Taiwanese people with the needs of the DPP, the "Introduction to the Democratic Progressive Party" section depicts Taiwan itself as being an underdog nation. Just as the DPP seeks to portray mainland China as being an obstacle toward democracy and freedom in Taiwan, so too does the website indicate that the Kuomintang stands in the way of true national self-expression.

The DPP website is extremely derisive toward the Kuomintang, accusing the latter of being "authoritarian." Therefore, in addition to creating a sense of being an "underdog," the DPP seeks to establish itself as the main opposing force to the well-established Kuomintang. Founded in 1986, the DPP is quite young in relation to the Kuomintang. As such, the DPP has been able to make waves in emerging global markets and indeed their website devotes much attention to Taiwanese economic policy. World trade is a key issue supported by the DPP, as indicated in the "Foreign Policy" section of the website. The DPP website links to similar political parties from other nations in the region, including Thailand and the Philippines. This serves to create solidarity with like-minded political groups to broaden the influence of DPP policies worldwide and thereby enhance support for the DPP.