From Opposition to Power: Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party. By Shelley Rigger. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2001. 232p. $49.95

Abstract

Until recently, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was a newly fledged opposition group trying to find its place in the turbulent process of Taiwan's democratization. But in March 2000, the DPP's candidate, Chen Shuibian, won the presidency, and in December 2001, the DPP replaced the former ruling party, the Kuomintang (KMT), as the largest party in Taiwan's Legislative Yuan. This dramatic rise to power and the party's current policies and future evolution are greatly illuminated by Shelley Rigger's up-close account of the DPP's history, organization, policies, and personnel.