Taiwanese society comprises different groups of people who differ in their ethnic backgrounds. The most dominant is the Han Chinese, who came to the island in two waves: between the 16th and 17th centuries, and in the middle of the 20th century. The rest of the population is represented by Taiwanese natives and newer migrants. Taiwanese identity began to develop during the period of the Japanese colonial government (1895–1945). After 1945, when the Chinese nationalist government settled in Taiwan, Taiwanese identity began to increasingly separate from that of mainland China, despite the policy of sinicization. Relations between the island's locals and new Chinese immigrants deteriorated during this period, and tensions between the two groups erupted into a rebellion that spread throughout Taiwan and is known as Incident 228. This thesis analyses the specifics of Taiwanese identity, its development, and the role of incident 228 - the purpose of the thesis is to investigate the implications of incident 228 on Taiwanese identity. A review and analysis of the sources led me to the conclusion that the incident had an extremely large impact on the formation of Taiwanese identity. Incident 228 ignited Taiwanese nationalism, which spurred the emergence of movements for Taiwan’s democratic system and its independence. Incident 228 is a symbol of Taiwanese suffering and serves as a weapon in the fight for Taiwanese independence, and as a warning against the cruelties that can be caused by a foreign government. Incident 228 may also represent the consequences of a failed sinicization that occurred after World War II, which in Taiwan only resulted in an even fiercer rejection of Chinese identity.
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