The End Of The Centralized Monarchy:Study On The Interaction Mechanism Between Reform And Revolution Of Late Qing Dynasty In China(1895-1911)

How did the centralized monarchy which had lasted for more than two thousand years in Chinese history end? That’s the question this article is trying to answer.The centralized monarchy was formed in the internal dilemma of the traditional Chinese agricultural society: the requirement of survival and the centrifugal tendency.The effective operation of the system with the centralized monarchy as the axis realized the consolidation and continuation of the centralized monarchy.The late Qing dynasty faced double pressures of it decline and modernization,which had given a birth to the theme of institutional change.It must give a positive response to face China’s periodic dynasty decline and establish a strong national capacity,so that can realize the transformation from traditional to a modern country to dissolve the national crisis.The dilemma of reform and the cultural inertia made two institutional change actions which is reform and revolution.The reformers were in favor of a top-down approach to build constitutional monarchy,and the revolutionaries were in favor of a bottom-up approach to build democratic republic.Reform and revolution in the process of institutional change had its own developing logic,reform realized the deconstruction of old system,the revolutionary actions promoted the accumulation and development of revolutionary forces.The debates between reformers and revolutionaries around 1905 promoted the further development of the revolution.The "bottom-up" reform promoted by the constitutionalists was unable to realize institutional reform due to the lack of top-down reform ability.The centralized monarchy was finally ended under the interaction mechanism of reform and revolution.The transformative power released constantly is the driving force of this mechanism.Reform and revolution are the core elements.The object is centralized monarchy.The interaction relation between reform and revolution is: reform promote revolution and revolution absorb reform.The ability of national reform is the key variable.The late Qing government under double pressures which the decline of dynasty and the country’s transformation,faced more severe power and authority crisis than other dynasties in Chinese history.The decline and fracture of late Qing’s social and political structure,and the negative effect of the political absorption under excessively centralized in political system made the government unable to walk out of the reform dilemma.This is the deep reason why modern China end the centralized monarchy by reform and revolution interaction mechanism.