The Analysis Of United-provinces Autonomy Movement Of Hunan In Republican Period

In the1920s, there were fiercely wars between the South Government and the North Government of China. Warlords made People’s life very hard and there was no hope for national unity. Hunan,which is the crossroads of north and south, east and west, was in worse situation. To get rid of the current situation, Hunan people rushed out in all directions and took the lead in choosing the Federal Movement. At that time, Hunan announced autonomy and drafted provincial Constitution hoping to achieve national reunification through autonomy. This article proceed from the Hunan provincial autonomy movement, which took place during the period of the Republic of China. It mainly analyses the non-governmental autonomous movement which was leaded by advanced intellectuals and participated by masses. The author tries to excavate public wishes from this movement and study what efforts and explorations did by advanced intellectuals, social celebrities, social organizations and underclass people at that time.There were profound backgrounds that Hunan province was the first one to start the Federal Movement. First, from1911to1920, it was the period that the old order had already collapsed and the new order have not yet built. In this period, warlords impacted and hurt Hunan constantly. Second, Hunan had profound political cultural background. Huxiang Culture impregnated a lot of intellectuals and democrats who were against the monarchy and pursued democracy. In addition, the western federal thoughts, the localism at the late Qing Dynasty and the development of local autonomous movement, all of these had great impact on this movement.From the movement of Driving Jingyao, Zhang to the fight between "Constitutions made by officials and squires" and "Constitution made by the citizens" to the investigation, voting and the implementation of the Hunan’s draft Constitution, every link permeated strong public wishes and efforts made by Hunan people who were eager for achieving the true local autonomous government.We can say that the Federal movement which took place in the1920s, was the most valuable political movement in China in20th century. Because it integrated Constitutionalism, Republicanism and Federalism, and offered a prescription for curing Chinese monarchy. It is served as a try that Hunan people explored the local democracy. Even the Hunan provincial autonomous movement didn’t succeed, it opened the window of the dawn for China which achieve democratic politics and planted seeds of freedom.