A Study On The Rise Of Local Political Power In The Late Qing Dynasty

The Chinese society is in a very violent crisis, reform and transition period in the late Qing Dynasty. Especially after the Opium War, the crown structure and absolute authority of the central government was increasingly weakening from both inside and outside of the serious challenges.Since the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement, the Westernization Movement, the reform movement of 1898, the new deal in the late Qing Dynasty, the revolution of 1911, the new culture movement, reform and revolution, and under the double impact of western weapons and Western thought, the kinship and political of Qing Dynasty as a step toward decay and deconstruction in the late Qing and early Republic. The decay of the central government and the decline of kingship itself and the external impact, led to the rise of local forces. In this period, the Qing Dynasty facing a serious decline in the authority of the central government, and gradual losing the actual ability of the local government; Thus, local forces expansion rapidly, and becoming a local political forces rapidly. The local political forces appear originated from the local militia that around established, in the traditional society that "kingship in the county", a considerable part of the local militia forces gradually developed for local political forces at the end of the Qing Dynasty.In the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic, the development of Liu’s family and it expansion rapidly has become a typical in the background of central government unable to maintain local order and the border minority uprising. Although as a remote mountainous area, but the deconstruction of Xing Yi traditional society is still a part of the traditional society deconstruction. As a local clan forces, after the accumulation of the traditional agricultural society’s development, the family access to the multiple social resources. Through the transformation to the local squire, establishes the local militia, the establishment of the local armed forces, the rapid development of economic strength and military strength, political power and military resources of Liu’s family rapidly rise, those laid the foundation of Liu’s family as a local political forces. Under the influence of new learning and the contact of education resources, Liu’s family gradually expanded it influence. Through agglomeration of economic resources, military resources, political resources and educational resources, Liu’s family gradually expanded for local forces, and to further expand for local political forces in Western Guizhou.Since the Liu Yanshan began to organize local troops for suppressing the Hui uprising in1861 beginning, intermediate by Liu Guanli operated for many years, through organize local militia, cooperate with the Qing government to suppress the Hui uprising, Xing Yi Liu’s family,at the same time, gradually moving to the political stage of Xing Yi even Panjiang area. After Liu Xianshi into this province for military commissioner, the chief and the governor, the junta of Liu’s family was established in Guizhou province. But because of differentiation in the junta and differentiation in Qian army, Liu gradually declined. To it was forced to resign in 1925 so far,Liu’s local political powers active for more than 60 years in the political arena of Guizhou, this had a great influence in politics and society of Guizhou.