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Taiwan at the Crossroads
The Three Principles of the People, nationalism, democracy and social well-being, and the political ideals of freedom and equality certainly captured the imagination of many young Taiwanese but this dream did not last very long. The colonial rule of a foreign race was replaced by another high-handed rule. Although the people of Taiwan shook off the rule of one foreign race, they were denied the opportunity to be their own masters. Because of governmental hardship, the Taiwanese people soon lost all hope. They were awakened to the need for struggle. Then the February 28 Incident brought yet more misfortune. The death of several innocent citizens had left an ineradicable wound. Many young people in Taiwan deeply believed that persecution, authoritarianism and high-handed rule were not the sole reserve of foreign rulers.

If the social system was unreasonable, the well-being of the people would not be secured. During those years, many idealistic people began to turn to socialism; these young people were regarded as having wrong thoughts.

The intellectuals who were unfairly arrested after the February 28 Incident were all senselessly sacrificed during the storm of that period. These violent incidents increased the feeling of hopelessness of many of those living in Taiwan. Compared with the horrific conditions in every aspect of post-war Taiwan, the perfect model of the US imparted hope to Taiwanese rom Mainland China or descended from those who did. And consequently, the bloodlines and students.

Apart from their academic conditions, the freedom, equality and respect for human rights in the United States attracted countless people who had suffered in unfortunate circumstances. "Go! Go! Go! Go to America!" was the refrain of the 1960s. In retrospect, many of the motifs for the future development of democracy in Taiwan were laid down at this time. I was one of those people who rode the tide and ended up in Berkeley. Apart from the aborigines, the majority of the inhabitants living on this piece of land called Taiwan either came themselves fcultures are very similar. The only difference was that some came to Taiwan earlier and other later. For a relatively short period of time, around the 17th century, parts of Taiwan were settled by Dutch and Spanish people. They were driven out from Taiwan when massive immigration took place at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Following the end of World War II, Taiwan became part of the Republic of China. Several years later, the Mainland changed its color and many mainlanders immigrated to Taiwan. These mainlanders made up about 15% of the population. Apart from the new members of the ruling classes, there were also many soldiers and civilians, many of whom were government employees and teachers. They came from everywhere.

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