The Middle Ground Journal

By Nabanipa Majumder, History Ph.D. candidate, Texas Tech University

Abstract: This article discusses the geopolitical confrontation between the United States and Communist China during the first Taiwan Strait Crisis (1954-55) and the subsequent 1958 Taiwan Strait Crisis. It argues that the crises in the Taiwan Strait had the potential to escalate into a global confrontation, unlike the proxy wars in Korea and Vietnam. The Taiwan Strait crises went on for almost twenty years (1950s-1970s), affecting neighboring countries’ political developments, and while they were mostly confined to direct military actions by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China, they had the potential to bring the world to the brink of a nuclear war. This topic is significant because, unlike the proxy wars between superpowers, the Taiwan Strait crises posed a more credible risk, thereby underscoring the volatility of international relations and strategic dynamics of the Cold War period.

Keywords: Taiwan Strait, Formosa Resolution, Taiwan, Republic of China, People’s Republic of China (PRC), India, Soviet Union, Cold War, Communism, diplomatic history, military aid, nuclear conflict

Edited by Birgit Schneider

Special thanks to the anonymous peer reviewers.

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© 2024 The Middle Ground Journal (ISSN: 2155-1103) Number 27, Spring 2024 http://TheMiddleGroundJournal.org

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Special Issue Article on “Crisis and Recovery,” the theme for the Midwest World History Association’s 2021 conference.