Reforms In Late Qing Implemented At The Local Difficulties

In carrying out local self-government, which is one important part of new deal during the closing years of Qing Dynasty, self-government agitation broke out over and over again. Self-government agitation means the violent actions against local self-government(against census-taking and exacting self-government tax etc.). Just as its name implies, local self-government means relying on local people to solve local problems and seek local public interest. In this case, then why did local self-government undergo so intense objection? In fact this has much to do new deal.This dissertation attempts to answer the nuclear question of "why the new deal in the closing years of Qing Dynasty relapsed into such great plight" by analyzing the cause and trend of local self-government agitation from the perspective of fogies, local gentry, local elites and local officials with a threading clew of the influences of various measures of the new deal on these people.The first chapter falls into three sub-chapters, with "Buddhists , Taoists , nuns and witches" being one of them. In this chapter it is analyzed how the original orbit of various groups of fogies were eroded bit by bit and by what means they stroke back and raised the self-government agitation.The second chapter is devided into three sub-chapters. In this chapter we try to probe into why these intended virtuous policies became such a source of suffering that local people are eager to eradicate them. Also discussed in this chapter is the relationship between these reasons and self-government agitation.The third chapter falls into three chapters, with " corruption of education"being one of them.This chapter is intended to describe "the other side" of local elites--profit gainers of reformfrom different points of view as well as to describe the process how this "other side" makes the local elites lose rapidly their lawfulness in local self-government.The fourth chapter tries to explain why many local officials choose nonfeasance in self-government agitation from the perspectives of superior government, local elites and their own personal quality of local officials and to reveal the predicament of local officials in self-government agitation.It is concluded that the cause and trend of local self-government agitation is the result of interaction between various complex factors and that the awkward carrying out of reform finds full expression in the agitation. Seen from the self-government agitation, it is from the following three reasons that the new deal bumps into such a great plight:First, it is inevitable that reform breaks the original delicate balance between various local powers and produces some malcontents. If possible, certain compensations should be awarded to them, at least to relieve their malcontent emotions or to provide ways of dissolving or controlling conflict. Being under great financial pressure, instead of compensating them the Qing government tightened its grip of exaction. Paying no attention to the appropriate moderation, the executants often arouse malcontent emotions with rash activities. Propaganda and mobilization, though not meager, but is still insufficient given the considerable size of China. Though formally a state regime construction, the local self-government, however, unlike the Japanese "Ting village" which it imitates, can not make the state control penetrate into every corner of society and therefore can not provide channels of releasing and controlling conflict.It is nothing to be surprised at if gainers of reform has the other side". What is important is that the local elites as gainers of reform express their "other side" too openly with almost no veiling and no restraint mechanism. Exchange of all kinds of capital becomes more and more public. Corruption, embezzlement, coaxing and coercing become "the normal way" of self-government and even other things to some extent. Though reform necessitates certain performance, it must build itself on "lawfulness". However, "the other side" can not help but render missing the lawf...