The February 28 Incident was a significant uprising in Taiwan that began on February 27, 1947. It started when government officials enforced a tobacco monopoly, leading to public outrage. The situation escalated when a confrontation between the police and civilians resulted in violence, sparking widespread protests against the ruling Kuomintang government. In response, the government declared martial law, and military forces were deployed to suppress the unrest. The crackdown resulted in thousands of deaths and marked the beginning of a period known as the White Terror, where political dissent was harshly repressed in Taiwan for several decades.