Both the Socialists and the Democratic Constitutionalists had strong ties to
Liang Qichao's defunct
Progressive Party. The former were based in China as part of the
China Democratic League while the latter was made up of
overseas Chinese and expatriates. Most of their members were middle-age to elderly. They never actively recruited and most of their members were friends or relatives of each other. Their small numbers meant they lacked influence but also allowed them to operate under the radar of the Kuomintang and prevent
infiltration by other parties. After the promulgation of the
Republic of China's constitution in January 1947, the CDSP established branches in several provinces and cities around China and participated in the first elections to the
National Assembly,
Legislative Yuan and
Control Yuan. The party also postulated
Hsu Fu-lin as candidate for vice-president in the First National Assembly of 1948 in
Nanking. After the ROC Government's retreat from mainland China, key members, including elected representatives and party leaders, followed the Kuomintang to
Taiwan. Carsun Chang moved to the
United States and was replaced as party head by Hsu Fu-lin until Hsu's death in 1958. Chang was elected party chairman by a national congress of the CDSP held in 1959. The CDSP, along with the
Young China Party, was one of two authorized opposition parties in the Republic of China during the imposition of
Martial Law by ruling Kuomintang. The party held a small number of seats in the
National Assembly,
Legislative Yuan and
Control Yuan, and was regarded as having little influence. The party failed to gain elected representation after Taiwan's democratic transition in the 1990s. On 29 April 2020, the party was disbanded by the
Ministry of the Interior due to a failure to re-register after changes in the law regarding political parties. == Electoral performances ==