Modern Businessman And The Nationalist Movement (1927-1937)

How did the businessmen behave in the nationalism movements ? This issue has brought to many Chinese Modern History researchers' attention throughout the country and overseas . But in the previous study , they were either regarded as single "Economic People" without any national emotion , or recognized as heroes of Chinese modernization regardless of their profit-pursuing instincts , or with their national emotion affirmed , they were criticized for their profit-pursing instincts . Such appraisals either went extremely , or were dialectical but plausible . In fact , neither will help understand the buisinessmen's words and deeds in the nationalism movements.Based on the interplay of the businessmen's national emotion and profit consideration , the following thesis is a new study about how the businessmen (especially in Shanghai and Tianjing ) behaved when the nation's existence was in peril in Nanjing Decade Period . In the time sequence , the auther first makes a thorough investigation of the businessmen's words and deeds in Jinan ,Shanghai and Beijing after Jinan Massacre . And then makes an inquiry into the reactions of the businessmen in Tianjing and Shanghai during the period of the War of Resisrance Against Japan in Shanghai after the September 18th Incident , probing into their behavours in North China Crisis which lasted for tens of years . The last chapter is a statistical research about the Movement Against Japanese Goods during 1931-1934 , concentrating on both the businessmen's different reactions because of the situations in different areas and their special dilemma caused by the way of resisting Japanese goods.After the study , the author holds that the businessmen's nationalism was out there . When the fate of the nation hang in balance , the businessmen embodied their national identity . Their reactions were largely identical with the students and workers except for slight differences , and they were all nationalists . But as one of the main ways in the Chinese modern nationalism movements , the campaign of breaking off economical relations tended to result that the businessmen should take the special historical responsibility . So the conflicts were inevitable .They were both national people and businessmen . Only when we grasp the double identity of the businessmen , can we really understand their behavours in the nationalism movements .