On Nanjing Government's Political System During The Constitutionalism Period

This paper is to give an overall insight into the constitutionalism of Nanjing government through the research into the forming of the political system during the constitutionalism period, the frame of the system and the realistic dilemma. It does not touch upon the causes of the failure of the Kuomintang, but also the internal dilemma of the development of constitutionalism in modern China.1. The forming of the political system during the constitutionalism of Nanjing government.That Nanjing government adopts constitutionalism has its historical logic and realistic consideration.a. historical logicThe justification of the rule of Nanjing government lies in the fact it boosts itself as the successor of Sun Zhongshan's revolution course. In the process of deifying Sun Zhongshan, it is burdened with applying Sun's political theory into practice, and realizing Sun's constitutionalism ideal becomes its unavoidable historical task.As a matter of fact, from the very beginning, Nanjing government regards the constitutionalism as its target. Furthermore, Nanjing government makes promises to the people over and over again to enforce constitutionalism. Though Kuomintang has failed to keep its promise to enforce the constitutionalism, it has little latitude and can hardly bear the big pressure from various aspects. Therefore, it is inevitable for Nanjing government to carry out the constitutionalism.b. realistic considerationsThe enforcement of the constitutionalism by Nanjing government is the result of the realistic consideration the domestic factors and American factors.The enforcement of the constitutionalism is the weapon taken by the Kuomintang based on the political attack of the Communist Party and the third party; on the other hand, Kuomintang aims to continue to keep its ruling position and to maintain its given benefit.That America criticizes the Nanjing government's moral politics system and requires it to carry out political reform exerts great pressure to Kuomintang. To gain America's continual support to the government, it has to carry out political reform. Meantime, the government has to adopt the western theory of democratic politics and function the same in government organization with Britain and America, carrying out the innovation to Sun Zhongshan's five-right constitution. 2. Nanjing government's political system frame during the constitutionalism period.a. the relationship between party and government During the constitutionalism, the Kuomintang's party-ruling principle is abolished in law, and the Kuomintang has no right to directly govern the government. However, in the practical political life, the Kuomintang as the most powerful ruling party can still realize its control to the government through the political system by the way of"infiltrating the government with the party".b. rules of government organizationThe central political system during the constitutionalism is quite different from that during the moral politics system. It enforces the"modified presidency"instead of the chairmanship of the government. Though the title of five-department system is maintained, the very basic system has been innovated and some forms of western cabinet system and congress system have been adopted, and as a result, the restraining relationship between the five departments is dramatically enhanced.3. Nanjing government's dilemma of political system during the constitutionalisma. the twisting of the political system of the constitutionalism The Kuomintang takes"repressing the rebellion of the communist party, sweeping away the barriers to democracy, and enforcing the constitutionalism as scheduled"as the excuse, enforces the mobilization for repressing the rebellion, establishes the system of mobilization and twists the political system established by Constitution of the Republic of China, and thus results in the chaos of national system.b. the disintegration of the KuomintangSince the end of the anti-Japanese war, the internal cohesion of the Kuomintang is decreased and the conflict is intensified day by day, thus resulting in the disintegration of the Kuomintang and its half-paralyzed situation in politics, which brings terrible effect to the operation of the government.c. the government crisisWith the intensifying of the internal conflict of the Kuomintang, the effective operation and the exertion of the functions of the government are severely damaged, leading to the collapse of the rule of the Kuomintang.