Taiwan Lifts 38 Years of Martial Law

On 15 July 1987, a presidential order issued by Chiang Ching-kuo formally lifted martial law across Taiwan and the Penghu archipelago. This decree ended an emergency regime that had lasted for 38 years and 56 days, standing at the time as the longest continuous period of martial law imposed anywhere in the world. The decree dismantled the extraordinary legal framework that had governed civilian life since the closing stages of the Chinese Civil War, marking a decisive turning point in Taiwan's modern political history.

The roots of this system dated back to the retreat of the Republic of China's Nationalist administration to the island. Chen Cheng, serving as chairman of the Taiwan Provincial Government and head of the Taiwan Garrison Command, first instituted provincial martial law on 19 May 1949 as military defeats accumulated on the mainland. By then about two million Nationalist troops and supporters were fleeing to the island after losing the civil war to the Communists, and the central government soon relocated to Taipei.