以復興基地為自我定位的國家立場受到最早的挑戰,是中共在70年代的外交開拓,其導致中華民國退出聯合國並與美國斷交。這些趨勢促成了中國國民黨的臺灣化政策,在臺灣化的政治變遷中,先後推出三不政策與開放探親,以便維繫復興基地兩大基礎─一個中國與反共。大陸的改革開放帶動了對復興基地第二波的挑戰,隨著探親而來的大陸熱造成反共立場的尷尬與脫序,於是臺獨論述繼之而起,先以民主化之名推動憲政改革,撤除了復興基地論述的制度基礎,並且因為民主化論述與中共的四個堅持針鋒相對,顯得具有時代性與開創性。俟制度改革如火如荼,民主化所掩護的本土化也正式成為國民黨的核心意識形態,迫使嫻熟復興基地論述的黨國官僚,開展出廣義的右派獨臺論述,為臺獨論述進入國際與兩岸,建立橋樑,但也因此造成復興基地論述的進一步失焦。在民主進步黨執政後,國民黨領導官員逐漸退出政壇,右派獨臺論述不再,復興基地論述也就成為歷史。
This paper traces a lost dimension of national identity in Taiwan, which used to dominate the national identity discourse in the late 1980s’, namely the self-identification as a base for anti-communist restoration in the Chinese Mainland. The purpose is to show, both empirically and interpretively, how an identity discourse could evolve through politics of identity and into a tool of completely different purpose before its total demise. The identity is presented in this paper as a discursive strategy of self-management at the personal as well as the national levels.