Republic of Formosa
The Republic of Formosa ( Chinese 臺灣 民主 國, Pinyin Táiwān Mínzhǔguó , also Democratic Republic of Taiwan ) was a republic on the island of Taiwan , which was established after the First Sino-Japanese War between the withdrawal of the armed forces of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Japanese colony of Taiwan existed between May and October 1895. It was a state that was not generally recognized under international law.
story
The provisions of the Shimonoseki Treaty , in which the Qing government agreed to the cession of Taiwan to Japan after China's defeat in the war against Japan , aroused opposition on the island. Faced with the impotence of the Qing government, from which no help could be expected, members of the upper class of Taipei decided to establish a republic to resist the Japanese before the arrival of the Japanese occupiers in Taiwan. On May 24, 1895, an English translation of the declaration of independence was delivered to all embassies on the island, the following day the republic was proclaimed: A group of officials and local dignitaries who were loyal to Qing proclaimed independence from China and a new Republic of Formosa. Tang Jingsong , the last Qing governor of Taiwan Province, was installed as the first president . Tang was reluctant to accept his appointment. The goal of the republic was not long-term independence, but rather to gain time in the hope of intervention by major Western powers, especially France and Great Britain, to put Japan in its place. Ultimately, the republic pursued the goal of reconnecting with China.
Japanese troops landed in Keelung on May 29 and the city was captured on June 3. The following day, President Tang and his Vice President Qiu Fengjia fled to mainland China on board a German ship. After looting by mercenaries from Guangdong under the command of the republic, the city of Taipei surrendered to the Japanese without a fight. The remaining supporters of the republic fled to Tainan , where Liu Yongfu continued the resistance as "Supreme Commander" without formally holding the office of president. After skirmishes between Japanese and Republican forces, the Japanese advanced on Tainan in October, after which Liu fled to the mainland. The 150-day history of the republic ended with the surrender of Tainan on October 21.
importance
The Republic of Formosa was the construction of part of Taiwan's urban upper class and officials who were loyal to Qing and at no time was it legitimized by the will of the people. Their army consisted mostly of mercenaries from the provinces of Fujian and Guangdong , who had hardly any morale and who sometimes plundered Taiwan themselves before they left for China in the wake of their commanders. The brunt of the military resistance to Japan was borne by independent popular movements that continued for years after the republic was dissolved.
Although the Republic of Formosa is called the first republic of Asia by some historians or politicians, it actually follows the Republic of Ezo , which was proclaimed on December 25, 1868. Despite the similarity of names, today's proponents of a Republic of Taiwan deny a connection between the Republic of Formosa and today's Republic of China, because the first republic was founded on the Chinese mainland out of loyalty to the Chinese government, while today's Republic of China was established by the government of the People's Republic China wants to distance itself from the mainland.
Leading personalities of the Republic of Formosa
- Tang Jingsong (President, May 25, 1895 - June 5, 1895)
- Liu Yongfu (Supreme Commander, June 5, 1895 - October 21, 1895)
See also
literature
- Harry J. Lamley: The 1895 Taiwan Republic: A Significant Episode in Modern Chinese History. In: Journal of Asian Studies. 27, No. 4, 1968, pp. 739-762.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Dieter Brötel: France in the Far East: imperialist expansion in Siam and Malaya, Laos and China. Steiner, Stuttgart 1996, p. 354.
- ↑ Harry J. Lamley: The 1895 Taiwan Republic. 1968, pp. 754-755.
- ↑ Harry J. Lamley: Taiwan under Japanese Rule. In: Murray A. Rubinstein (Ed.): Taiwan - A New History. extended edition. ME Sharpe, New York 2007, pp. 205-207.
- ↑ 陳正茂 、 林寶 琮 、 林世宗 Chen Cheng-Mao, Lin Pao-Chung, Lin Shih-Tsung: 新編 台灣 史Xinbian Taiwan shi . New Wun Ching Developmental Publishing, Taipei 2008, ISBN 978-986-150-983-9 , pp. 207-213.
- ↑ Stefan Fleischauer: The Dream of Your Own Nation: Past and Present of the Independence Movement of Taiwan (East Asia in the 21st Century) , 2008, p. 36