Institutionalization Of Authoritarianism And Land Reform

One of the most pressing issues developing countries face in the process of modernization is the problem of social integration,and the key to integration lies in land reform.Many developing countries have adopted violent land reform methods and top-down land reform methods to achieve social integration,other developing countries implemented relatively mild land reforms.The mild land reforms produced mixed results.Some mild land reforms implemented by East Asian countries(region) and regions have succeeded,thereby advancing the modernization of the country.However,mild land reforms in a considerable number of developing regions have been difficult to achieve,which has delayed the process of modernization.This article attempts to compare the mild land reform models in the developing regions after World War II.Taking the land reforms in Taiwan of China and the Philippines during the Marcos period as examples,it explores why the reforms in the two regions will eventually show opposite results under similar initial conditions.Land reforms in developing countries and regions have run through the entire twentieth century and continue to this day.The measures taken by different governments in the face of land reform directly affect the final reform results.The state or government capacity is the main factor related to the smooth progress of land reform.This research attempts to combine the different conditions of land reform in different regions and propose a comprehensive analysis perspective.Mild land reform in developing countries first requires a strong political authority.After World War II,many developing countries and regions have gradually moved towards an authoritarian system in an attempt to establish a stable political order.The difference in the level of institutionalization of the authoritarian system fundamentally affects the effectiveness of the land reform.More specifically,the level of political autonomy and the degree of state-society cooperation(the ability to compromise within the system)have a huge impact on the government’s ability to implement successful land reform.This article explores the land reforms in Taiwan of China and the Philippines during the Marcos period by means of a comparative historical analysis.The initial conditions in these two regions were very similar during the Marcos period: both regions could be classified as agricultural societies;both regions were freed from the colonial rule of Japan and the United States after the war,and both regions attempted to develop authoritarian system after the war.The difference between these two regions lies in the levels of institutionalization of their authoritarian systems.The Kuomintang regime in Taiwan started to institutionalize as early as the mainland period.After retreating to Taiwan,the government was able to maintain a high degree of autonomy,while at the same time,it managed to establish structural communication channels with the landlords of the local society.In the process of reform,the Kuomintang regime was able to act strongly,it was able to encourage the landlords to cooperate and finally successfully implemented a thorough land reform.The success of Chinese taiwan’s land reform stands in sharp contrast with the land reform of the Philippines.Although Marcos established an authoritarian system to stabilize the chaotic social order in the Philippines,the Marcos government lacked a high degree of autonomy,and the country was primarily a tool for his family to fight against political opponents and maintain its own status.The government and the military monopolized political power,the Congress was suspended,and different groups in society either became Marcos’ s loyal followers or targets of plunder.The lack of government capacity in the process of land reform and the uncooperative attitude of the landlords ultimately led to the failure of a comprehensive land reform and led to the downfall of the Marcos regime.Therefore,for developing countries,as they face a different situation from earlier developed countries,having a strong political authority and further improving the level of institutionalization on this basis is an important condition for successful land reform.