Research On Zhang Dongsun’s Democratic Thought(1919-1949)

At the beginning of the twentieth Century,the world political situation in drastic change. On the one hand,western capitalism with its strong material civilization means China poor,on the other hand,the outbreak of the first World War and exposed the disadvantages of capitalism. On the one hand,the Russian October revolution victory make people as cheerful as a lark,also appeared on the other hand,the Russian socialism practice process some violation of democratic system aspects. Chinese should decide on what path to follow? Zhang Dongsun is in international environmental impact of this complex Chinese circles under a very active scholar. He and many of the intellectuals at that time China,actively devote themselves to explore the way China society of his time,and ultimately selected the democratic path as Chinese future.In this paper, the conception is the study of Mr. Zhang Dongsun’s democratic thought, democratic thought here is a generalized understanding, inclusion of Mr. Zhang Dongsun’s theory of democracy, democratic implementation and so on. Through the research on Zhang Dongsun’s democratic thought, mining the democratic thought of the true meaning of what Mr Zhang, the democratic ideas of what is unique, how to realize the democracy at the time of the China, how about the relationship between democracy and Mr. Zhang understanding and constitutionalism, etc.. These are composed of various chapters of this paper.Zhang Dongsun’s democratic thought, starting Chinese problem in philosophy vision, strong influence of political views have been Rousseau’s equality, sovereignty of the people, democracy, social origins of political thought, Rousseau’s political thought has a strong critical and rebellious consciousness of autocratic society, but also with a strong color of idealism, that Zhang Dongsun often with ideal tendency in the research the problem of democracy. Guild social reconstruction scheme of Russell and national socialism thought also of Zhang Dongsun’s democratic thoughts have had far-reaching effects, although Zhang Dongsun later changed its socialist tendencies, but the impact of Russell’s socialist thought is still in. In addition, the scholarship point of Zhang Dongsun’s philosophy is from began, his origins of Western thought, on the whole, influenced by the western rationalism, prophase is mainly influenced by Kant’s philosophy, pragmatism, the new realism, emergent evolution thought; thought is mainly affected by the thought of the late Mann Heim, Marx’s Sociology of knowledge materialist conception of history and so on, this makes Zhang Dongsun in the future is always from the philosophical perspective as the starting point of the problem.Zhang Dongsun for socialism and democracy has experienced a process of exploration, publicity and research in his five four period actively engaged in a variety of socialist thought in the early 20’s, until nineteenth Century, he was influenced by Russell chose the guild socialism as a guide when China solve problems, to the 30 time half period, Zhang Dongsun instead proposed the national socialist ideology, namely the combination of absolute patriotic and progressive socialism, till 40 time second half period, Zhang Dongsun eventually established the democratic thoughts of socialism as a way for future Chinese, this theory is the focus of this paper-- Zhang Dongsun’s democratic thought. In Zhang Dongsun’s view, democracy is not only a kind of system, a kind of spirit, is also a kind of culture, a kind of life. Freedom, equality, rationality, personality constitutes the concept of base type democracy. Zhang Dongsun tried to prove that socialism and democracy from the perspective of historical development, regardless of the concept of base type perspective, or from the essence of Marxism, Marx’s point of view, their essence is the same, on the basis of the two coagulation together, formed the main content of the socialist democracy.Since the choice of the democratic path, involves how to realize the problem. In the realization of the way, Zhang Dongsun opposes the use of violence and revolution in the way, but advocated the gradual reform pattern to realize the Democratic road. He thought that violent revolution is temporary, have no alternative against one’s will means, helpless in the development of the productive forces, and therefore not all democratic countries need to violent revolution, go through the gradual pattern of the road of reform can achieve better effect of democracy. In the implementation of democratic this problem by whom the leadership, though Zhang Dongsun thought scholar class itself has various drawbacks, has lost its inherent mission, but through training, education and transformation of the scholar class after class, who is still able to shoulder the historical task of new, to solve the problem of farmers and bureaucratic problems, thus becoming the supporting life democratic path to achieve. The research on democratic how to realize this problem under the influence, Zhang Dongsun gradually from the previous "revised democratic politics" ideas, thus forming an intermediate political line.Zhang Dongsun democratic thought at the time of the society it become an independent school, in order to better illustrate the unique idea of Zhang Dongsun’s democracy, his democratic thought and contemporary representative scholar Zhang Junmai democratic thought has carried on comparative analysis: in the view of Zhang Dongsun, democracy is not only the political system, and comprises a comprehensive system of moral, ideological, social, religious, legal, economic and other aspects, Zhang Dongsun took "a civilization which contain certain system" referred to as "the system of civilization", he will be the democratic ideal as a high standard, system operation and operation procedure in contrast is secondary, but stressed that individuals become self-conscious democracy, consciously act according to the value concept of democracy, democracy can be formed naturally. And advocates from the system construction and economic construction thinking of the way to achieve democracy in different interpretation of democracy, civilization Zhang Dongsun agrees with the Communist Party of China’s Anti Japanese policy, after the Anti Japanese War and advocated to reconcile the Kuomintang and the Communist Party the way to develop the middle line thought. From the angle of explaining the normative democratic republicanism, Zhang Dongsun is not a normative sense, he is in the process of constructing a democratic system, but also a lot of Confucian traditional grafting resources, such construction can also be understood as the Confucian thought of republicanism.Zhang Dongsun and the early Republic of China period of constitutional idea, from the view of freedom, emphasized that the country is not as interference, the need for the government power to limit; for the need for constitutional government, against the unlimited power, opposed the autocratic rule of law; action, preventing careerist autocracy, preventing the abuse of power; and from resistance to reconcile the spirit of constitutionalism. Reflections on the Kuomintang constitutionalism construction of disappointment and the legitimacy of the regime of the suspect, Zhang Dongsun turned from the construction of cultural dimensions to concern Chinese constitutionalism construction problems, he urged the improvement of national intellectual level, national capacity is the constitutional government foundation, put all the questions of constitutionalism are placed in culture discussion. The transformation of Zhang Dongsun of the constitutional concept, in addition to understanding and estimation of the time of domestic and international political situation, deeper reason from the viewpoint of constitutionalism value concept level, changed Zhang Dongsun to free the constitutionalism this value based type identification.Early Zhang Dongsun to democracy as the constitutional construction should have meaning, through understanding the political situation and its change of domestic and foreign to the constitutional government value idea, Zhang Dongsun turn to foster a culture of individualism so as to realize the aim of constitutionalism through democratic.Zhang Dongsun as a liberal intellectuals during the period of the Republic of the influential, the understanding of democracy reflects the rational thinking and a unique view of social transformation. The difference of democratic thought and its origin and interest of different orientation, makes Zhang Dongsun of democratic cognition is different from other school contemporaries, also make him for constitutional claims and others not the same, thus forming the divergence of the situation. Under the macro historical context, to examine the development of Zhang Dongsun to the period of the Republic of China social and political trends, have very strong problem consciousness and leading, according to the thinking and opinion developed their own "discursive space", have important reference meaning for the outline Chinese liberalism political philosophy. Zhang Dongsun has always opposed to the Soviet Union to violent revolution, democratic reform path advocated peace creep feed, against the Kuomintang’s one party dictatorship, to the freedom and equality has a very high value appeal. Although Zhang Dongsun cognition of democracy with the same time others are different, but for the final point to democracy have with other schools of pursuit is basically the same.