Business And Industry ¡¤ City Government ¡¤ City Party Headquarters

Shanghai, the economic center of China, was the most concentrated area with finance, industry and commerce of modern China. The Shanghai business circles played an important role in political and economic life both in Shanghai and China. However, most of the current researches focus on the relations between the Shanghai business circles and the Naking National Government, and few touch on the relations of the business circles, the Shanghai municipal government and the local apparatus of the Guomindang (KMT). Based on the theory and method of politics and sociology, the paper deals with the systematic research on the development of the relations of the three parties above from 1927 to 1937, from the perspective of the social changes in modern Shanghai.The tradition of local self-government is an important factor in evaluating the relations between the business circles and the Shanghai municipality. The long tradition of local self-government was highly regarded by the municipal government after 1927. The important figures of the business circles were co-opted by the Shanghai municipality to participate in the official organizations such as the municipal council, the discussion committee on urban planning, the municipal finance discussion committee, and the provisional municipal council. In the course of participation, the business circles were consulted on administration and thus their desires for self-government were to a large extent satisfied. The local self-government was internalized into the collective memories of the business circles. As a result, the business circles had performed the functions abandoned by the government and taken advantage of the rich social resources to ensure the regular operation of Shanghai society without the leadership of the municipality in the wartime. After the Songhu Anti-Japanese War, the spirit of local self-government was continued by the business circles' participation in the local self-government. However, the local self-government emerged in the special background that the local government's authority declined and its ruling capacity was limited. So, with the founding of the Shanghai Municipality in 1927 and in the process of municipal constructions, the municipality certainly withdrew the power that had been temporarily transferred to the civic society to strengthen its authority. Consequently, the civic self-government forces dividing the power of government were destined to enjoy less autonomy than ever. That is why the business circle had only limited power despite their participation in the municipal policy-making.The change of political authority is another important factor in understanding the relations between the business circles and the municipality, the local apparatus of KMT. After the September Eighteenth Incident, under the influence of nationalismmovements, the municipality and the local apparatus were caught in serious authority crisis, which led to the crack of domination of KMT in Shanghai and thus provided the opportunity and space for the business circles to participate in local administration. After Songhu Anti-Japanese War, the requirement of reasserting their authority by Naking Government and the Shanghai municipality was politically and financially limited, and they could not ignore the contributions that the buniness circles had made in the wartime. So, the leading elements of the business circles were co-opted by the Shanghai governments in the official organizations and their civic activities were supported by the municipality. However, the co-operation between the business circles and the municipality was limited. With the accomplishment of the centralization and with the reasserting of the authority by the governments, the activities of the business circles were again suppressed by the municipality and the local apparatus.The roles and the expression of their interests are the key to understanding the relations between the business circles and the municipality, the local apparatus of KMT. In the direction of the policy of part...