February 28 Incident

Date: February 28, 1947 • Location: Taipei, Taiwan, Province of China

This milestone marked the outbreak and beginning of this historic period, which spanned 1947–1949.

Nationalist soldiers fired on protesters in Taipei (crowd pictured), triggering widespread uprisings and violent suppression in the White Terror.

The Nationalist government, officially the National Government of the Republic of China, was the government of China from 1928 to 1948. It was established by the Kuomintang (KMT) in Guangzhou after the reorganization of the Army and Navy Marshal stronghold. Following the Northern Expedition, the government was able to defeat and overthrow the Beiyang government and become the legitimate government of China with its capital settled in Nanjing since 1927. The Nationalist government lasted until 20 May 1948 when it dissolved itself and was replaced by a constitutional government following the promulgation of a formal constitution. During the period the KMT-led government ruled China as a one-party state.