Statement And Construction Of The Concept Of Democracy In May 4th New Culture Movement

The central theme of this paper is to the "New Youth" magazine in the frequency of the word "democracy",the use of this word and the value tendency.We know that "democracy" has long been considered one of the important legacies,it is one of the key words which the history of literature and the critics use it to describe The New Culture Movement.The process to investigate the "democracy" is the basic study to understand Modern Thought and Literature.To understand the statement and construction of the democracy in May 4th New Culture Movement can help us grasp the depth of the spirit of modern Chinese literature and the social and cultural background of the modern literary and artistic thought.For the May 4th intellectuals,the "democracy" give them a completely different from the traditional Chinese in the new relationship between the individual and the state,the organizing principle of the society.They analyze this problem Combined their experience and their own culturalbackground.This article concerns the analysis of the complexity and the contradiction in the process.This article take the "New Youth" magazine as the entry point,start the discuss on the issue that how the "new youth",colleagues translate and apply the word "democracy". First of all,this paper analyze the concept of democracy,its evolution in the West.This process can make us understand what is democracy clearly.Then,this article observe how Chinese people consider democracy before the May 4th New Culture Movement. From the preachers' introduce and the horizon records from the officials who ambassador to the West,we know the democracy simply.The "JiaYin" magazine which as the precursor to New Culture Movement tried to break through discussion,but until The New Culture Movement,the "New Youth" focus on this issue.However,the problem lies in the fact that the emergence of the" democracy" term is not very frequently compared with the word "science" which is another key word in The New Culture Movement.And the emergence of "Republican","human rights" and "civil rights",is almost as much as the word democracy Therefore,this article also visited the other terms related to democracy."New Youth" colleagues seem to be more inclined to use "Republican" to express their vision of a new social state,because they feel that the "Democracy" in which "the people" too much weight,it is better to use "Republican" to express the meaning of common governance.Elucidation of the democracy has been raised in the criticism to Confucian.In the latter stage of "New Youth","democracy" is no longer the key word in the magazine,quite the other way,and the words such as "sacred labor" "working class" appear frequently."New Youth" colleagues in the evaluation of the democratic changes have taken place,the majority have the negative voice.They yearn for socialist democracy which has the meaning of Datong,and then the "people" have been referred to the idea of a more determined,the role of intellectuals has changed.As well as the Changes in values,their understanding of literature have been corresponding changed,such as from emphasizing the civilian literature to the "proletarian literature" which we can expect.