Francis Arthur Aglen And Modern Chinese Customs (1911-1927)

The research of modern Chinese Customs characters is hot spots and the important part of the customs history studies, which is always one of the important problems in the research of modern Chinese history for a long time, Scholars whether Chineses or foreigners have paid more attention in it, made a lot of researches with diversified angles, and gotten plentiful productions. The present researches concern more about the earlier period and neglect to study later periods, Focuses are usually placed on the first two Inspector General of Chinese Customs Horatio Nelson Lay and Robert Hart especially the later one, But studies about other four Inspector Generals of Chinese Customs are still lacking, Especially systematical analyses on the third Inspector General Francis Arthur Aglen(1911—1927),who was known as"the Supreme Minister of Finance"in Beijing government period of the Republic of China, are few comparatively, It is far disproportional with the position and influence about Aglen in the history of modern Chinese. Therefore, Based on the investigation and understanding of the existing researches, this thesis will be guided by the historical materialism and dialectics materialism, take the third Inspector General of Chinese Customs Aglen as the object of research, the Aglen's politics experience as inspecting clue, and the relations about Aglen and the Beijing government as the center. Revolving around the eminent of customs tariff, the relation between Aglen and the internal and external debt of Beijing government, and the deposition incident about Aglen, to discuss the development of the power, role and system about Aglen and Chinese Customs in the turbulence period from the late Qing Dynasty to the Beijing warlord dominance government, reveal the indigent financial situation of Beijing government and its dependence with Aglen, and reflect the influence that the Chinese Customs and his Inspector General Aglen exert to the Chinese society from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China. Hoping through carding Aglen's political course in China to deepen the research of Aglen, the important character in the history of modern Chinese, so as to enrich our acquaintance to this segment of history content, absorb historical experience and lessons earnestly, draw to think lesson and take warning from it.