The Treaty View Of Constitutionalism Faction Analysis

Since the Opium War in1840, the Western powers opened the door to China with gunboats forced the Qing government signed a series of unequal treaties, obtain a variety of rights. This will not only damage China’s sovereignty, but also a serious impediment to China’s development.Constitutionalists as an important political factions in early20th century, while promoting the constitutional movement, and constantly wrote to expose the conspiracy of Western powers to carve up China, criticized the harm caused by the unequal treaties on China strongly demands the abolition of the unequal treaties. Constitutionalists "Xin Min Cong Bao","Oriental Magazine," Foreign Affairs "and other newspapers as the main positions and published numerous articles on treaties and unequal treaties. Constitutionalists on the basis of the international situation and the understanding of international law, treaties and unequal treaties of the categories, the nature of doing a lot of research to expose the nature of the unequal treaties on China’s hazards. Their treaty privileges, such as in-depth study of the consular jurisdiction, agreements and tariffs proposed approach to address the unequal treaties, they believe that the abolition of the unequal treaties to recover the Liquan can start from diplomacy, international law, reform, but the fundamental solution is that the "constitutional". The Constitutionalists view of the treaty has an important position at the time, the important development of the treaty concept in the late Qing Dynasty. Compared with the understanding of the reformers, more comprehensive understanding of the constitutional party treaty, expressed concern that the treaty privileges is often overlooked. Compared with the revolutionaries, their anti-imperialist attitude is clearer, the target of imperialism. But recognizes that there are defects, a basic understanding of the treaty is not enough awareness of the unequal treaties, not the system, some important privilege not pay enough attention, such as the concession system. Nevertheless, awareness of the unequal treaties of the constitutional party had a significant impact on the analysis of the unequal treaties, to the specific change treaty later have a major reference, this is also a rich spiritual heritage.