With the repression of the Formosa opposition, the first generation of opposition leaders were imprisoned. Their place was taken mainly by the attorneys who defended them. Sympathy for these political prisoners and their families, combined with a rational, more organized approach, enabled the opposition--known as the "Tangwai" (meaning "outside the KMT") --to do reasonably well in elections.
「美麗島事件」遭鎮壓後，反對運動第一代菁英先後繫獄，辯護律師派代之而起；理性、組織的基調，伴隨著美麗島政治犯家屬的悲情訴求，使得「黨外」陣營在選舉中屢有斬獲。