| In 1930s, some intellectuals of some Peking's famous universities and research institutions who had liberalism trend founded a weekly journal Independent Review before the War against the Japanese to help China. Their comments on politics were needed by the society when China is in danger, and their political activities were happened in certain political situation. The intellectuals' comments on the politics were influenced a lot by the political situation. In order to insist on their own political stand and do not influenced by political party, these intellectuals alleged "independent spirit" and "do not rely on any political party or held any prejudice". This theory is fuscous on the true liberty of speech and corrected the focusing on propaganda of some journals, and it is very meaningful for the study of journals.Most of the founders of Independent Review had studied in Europe and America and were influenced deeply by western liberalism, and they were authorities in their own groves of academes and had traditional Chinese culture background, their construction of "independent spirit" believe in their academic gist which not only has western master's theories, but also has traditional Chinese theories, such as Confucius' and Mencius' "do not give your ideal when facing poverty, do not corrupt when facing richness, do not give in when facing power". They were influenced by both Chinese and western cultures, they had Chinese way of thinking and western ideas. Their comments and ideas were the reflection of these modern intellectuals' liberalism. In fact, the analysis of Independent Review has some connection with the analysis of the change of modern intellectuals' liberalism.Independent Review is the special result of the War against the Japanese and can't avoid the influence of politics. Before the war, China is in great danger and Kumintang were busying in quarreling for interests, all these made the "intellectuals commenting on politics" was entangled with the change of political situation. In this situation, though these intellectuals used "independent spirit" to defend their ideas, but the effects were not good enough. The "independent spirit" was very fragile when facing realism and the intellectuals didn't know how to deal with it. These intellectuals' different attitudes towards war and different political power indicated the intellectuals' doubt about themselves and the realism. With the change of the political situation, the intellectuals gave up the "liberalism spirit" gradually and began to affiliate with different political power. Because the background of China's dangerous situation, affiliating with political power is reasonable and couldn't be avoided. Independent Review was famous for its comments on politics during war time which touch upon all kinds of things and fuscous on diplomacy with Japan and the reform of China's politics, and it reflects the attitudes of different political parties, In a series of comments, the intellectuals tailed a lot about "democracy or despotism" "united by politics or force" "construction or inaction" "fight back or negotiation" "China or international" "confidence or self-examination" "civil war or war against foreign". Though it looks complicated, their basic stand didn't oppose with each other, there has no difference of their reorganization of Kumintang and their posit of elite... |
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