A Study Of The Relief Activities Of China International Famine Relief Commission In Shaanxi In The 1920s And 1930s

Social relief is closely related to national security,and the rulers of all dynasties attached great importance to social relief activities.The period of the republic of China was in the transition period of drastic changes in all aspects of the country.The collision of China and the west,warlords fighting,political instability,coupled with the aggravation of natural disasters,the country’s finances are increasingly strained,thus,government cannot guarantee the performance of its normal functions.The government cannot bear social responsibilities and obligations,especially in times of natural disasters and human disasters,the government’s relief activities are often more than enough.Therefore,the strength of non-governmental of organizations is particularly prominent.The social relief activities of non-governmental organizations represented by China International Famine Relief Commission have make up for the lack of early social management functions of the Republic of China and played a temporary transition role.This article takes Shaanxi as an example to explore the impact of social relief activities of non-governmental organizations in China’s.In the 1920s and 1930s,Shaanxi’s socio-economic back-wardness,frequent wars,heavy taxation,and frequent disasters made people’s lives miserable.As the largest non-governmental relief organization at that time,China International Famine Relief Commission gave full play to its humanitarian spirit and adopted new relief methods.It believes that "urgency is worse than labor,construction is worse than construction".It changed the traditional relief measures in the past and made up for the lack of government relief at that time.And it launched a series of social relief and construction activities in Shaanxi,such as urgent work,construction of roads and canals,and promotion of cooperative movements.Generally,it has promoted social stability in the region,relieved people’s living pressure,promoted social and economic development in Shaanxi,and made important contributions to social relief in Shaanxi Province.It can be seen from the specific content and influence of China International Famine Relief Commission in Shaanxi relief activities that the level of social relief in China,including relief concepts,relief methods,and relief measures,has great progress compared with traditional social relief.Civil society organizations and the government have both assisted and contradicted each other in social relief issues.They cooperate and complement each other for a long time to alleviate social conflicts and maintain social order.China International Famine Relief Commission has incorporated new concepts into the social relief undertaking in the form of Sino-Western cooperation and official-civilian cooperation,which has had a positive impact on the modernization of the relief system.Studying the relief activities of China International Famine Relief Commission in Shaanxi in the 1920s and 1930s is still of significance for us to develop people’s livelihood issues and improve the social relief mechanism today.