"Taiwan History"

Upon occupying Taiwan, the Japanese created a transportation infrastructure including railways, highways and harbors, improved public health by setting up modern Western-style medical facilities, created schools, and established the foundation for administrative bodies and a legal system. Taiwan's focus on agricultural was maintained and revolutionary agricultural techniques were introduced, developing a large sugar cane industry and providing rice for Japan. The colonial relationship between an industrial Japan and agricultural Taiwan was thereby established.

In the years before 1920, Japan created a basic infrastructure on Taiwan just as World War I presented economic opportunities. At this time Taiwan saw rapid economic growth and many Taiwanese either renovated or built new homes. The Japanese colonial government began carrying out urban planning, and many small modern towns took root. Thanks to the policy of universal education by the colonial government, Taiwan's first generation of intellectuals emerged around 1920. They staged a cultural movement in the 15th year of the Showa era, started magazines and newspapers, and held lectures to espouse the modern Western tenets of democracy and rationalism. They even became politicized to the point of seeking establishment of a colonial self-rule political entity.

In the late 1930's as Japanese imperialism further developed, the Japanese colonial government began to assimilate the Taiwanese, referring to the Taiwanese as subjects. Taiwanese were strongly encouraged to adopt a Japanese lifestyle, but the movement had only limited success. On the other hand, due to needs of the war, the Japanese colonial government used Taiwan labor to build roads in rural areas, to construct military installations and the like. After entering the Pacific War, Taiwanese were mobilized on the war front. In 1945 Japan surrendered. The Allied forces Pacific commander, General MacArthur, ordered that the Japanese imperial government and forces surrender to China, bringing to an end the Japanese colonial period in Taiwan.

Not long after Taiwan emerged from Japanese colonial rule, the Nationalism lost the Chinese civil war and retreated to Taiwan in 1949. Soon after, the Korean War erupted and Taiwan became a key link in the line of defense against socialism in the Western Pacific during the Cold War. Up until the mid-1960's, Taiwan received military and economic assistance from the United States. This was a period of Americanization of Taiwan. Western art, culture, and architecture were introduced to Taiwan during the period of U.S. assistance.

After the 1970's, the Cold War began to thaw. The Republic of China was forced out to the United Nations and Japan, the U.S. and other nations served diplomatic relations. As this time, there was criticism that Taiwan had become overly Westernized and a policy focusing on local culture should be implemented. Thereafter, various degrees of compromise were reached between local and foreign culture. Especially after the mid-1980's, the advancement of democracy, freedom and internationalism made the integration of these cultures all the more vibrant and diverse.

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