Legitimizing Taiwanese Regime: Kuomintang's Quest for Legitimacy and National Identity after 1949

Bc. Petr Přibyla

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Kuomintangský režim se po roce 1949, po nuceném přesunu z pevninské Číny na Tchaj-wan, prohlašoval za legitimní vládu „celé“ Číny, a jakožto nově ustanovený režim nad novým teritoriem, byl nucen hledat legitimizační vzorce pro svou vládu. Tato práce se zaměřuje na mechanismy a legitimizační vzorce které umožnily kuomintangskému režimu legitimizovat se v opozici ke komunistické Číně a ideologii a souběžně propagovat vlastní vizi národní identity. K zodpovězení těchto otázek práce staví na teoretických konceptech legitimity, národní identity a souběžně skrze vymezení autoritativního režimu dle J.J. Linze a legitimizačních vzorců autoritativních režimů dle C. Moora. Následné zkoumání Kuomintangského režimu pak probíhá skrze politicko-administrativní a politicko-socializační dimenzi.

Abstract:

Taiwanese Kuomintang’s regime after 1949 claimed itself as a legitimate government of “all China” temporary squeezed into a province and as such, as a newly established regime, had to attempt to legitimize its right to rule over a Taiwanese territory. This thesis adds to research of legitimacy theory and seeks to find an answers according to: (1) through which mechanisms the newly implemented regime ensured its legitimacy; (2) and on which bases was the Kuomintang’s regime able to ensure spreading off, in opposition to Communistic Mainland China, its own vision of uniqueness, one-of-its-kind national identity and state-vision. In order to do so, besides a theoretical part dealing with a legitimacy and national theory, this thesis offers a theoretical bases for categorizing Taiwanese regime in a light of J.J. Linz’s theory of authoritarian regimes and C. Moore’s theory of regime’s legitimacy. For reaching a wider understanding of legitimizing mechanisms of Kuomintang’s authoritarian regime, Taiwanese case was primarily examined through political-administration and political-socialization dimensions, allowing capture all-encompassing legitimizing ethos where cultural discourse and educational policy were a key prominent features for regime’s attempt in legitimizing its “tutelary“ existence.

Keywords

Autoritativní režim, Legitimita, Národní identita, Ideologie, Mentalita, Kuomintang, Politická socializace, Krize legitimity, Tchaj-wan, Chang kai-Shek, Mao Ze-dong, Tři lidové principy, Patronážní ideologie, Charizmatická legitimita, Sebe-identifikace, Authoritarian Regime, Legitimacy, National Identity, Ideology, Mentality, Political Socialization, Imagined Community, Legitimacy Crisis, Taiwan, Three People’s Principles, Chinesness, Tutelary Ideology, Nationhood, Charismatic legitimacy, Self-identification

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 24. 5. 2011

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 13. 6. 2011
• Supervisor: prof. PhDr. Jan Holzer, Ph.D.
• Reader: Mgr. Pavel Dufek, Ph.D.

Masaryk University

Faculty of Social Studies

Master programme / field:
Political Science / Political Science