| The emergence of the Progressive Party in the beginning of the Republic has profound historical origins.In order to restrain the robustly growing revolution and maintain the shaky feudal system, the Qing government invoked "the New Policy" in 1901, and issued an imperial edict "Promising Imitation Constitution" in 1906. Later on, they declared making preparation for setting up Central Advisory Council and Local Advisory Bureau, and promulgated some regulations such as "Provincial Advisory Bureau Regulation."The promising constitution were advocated by the constitutionalists both in China and abroad, who founded approximately 80 constitutional organizations successively, with a common aim to object the ruling status of Qing Dynasty, speed up the constitutional steps and to oppose revolution. With the appearance of constitutional organizations, a political movement which took demanding constitution as its main aim were launched in the mainland. Under the pressure from various sides, the Qing government was obliged to publish "The Draft Programme On Constitution Authorized By The Sovereign" in 1908, and proclaimed a time limit of the promising constitution of nine years, whereas the emperor's authority was still declared sacrosanct.After the foundation of provincial advisory bureaus, the constitutionalists carried out three constitutional petitionary political activities during January to October in 1910. The Qing government was compelled to shorten the time limit of "the Promising Constitution", permitting to summon the parliament and establish the on- duty cabinet. With the constitutionalists' repeated demandings, the Qing government established the on- duty cabinet, which was actually an "imperial cabinet". This indicated that "the Promising Constitution" was in fact a fraud, whereupon the constitutional movement fell through.After Wuchang Uprising broke out, the constitutional group was fast divided and then combined, trying to organize political parties and leagues, to echo each other. Their political principles were roughly similar which laid the foundation of composing the Progressive Party later on.To match the Nationalist Party, the constitutionalists colluded with Yuan Shikai and organized party, dreamed to establish a landlord- bourgeois joint regime with him. While Yuan Shikai fully supported and fostered the constitutionalists to resist the revolutionists for the purpose of maintaining his rule. Therefore, with Yuan Shikai's incitement and Liang Qichao's contact with every sides, the Democratic Party, the Republican Party and the United Party incorporated and established the Progressive Party on 29th, May 1913.The political programme of Progressive Party was to adopt nationalism, build up powerful and benevolent government, respect public wishes, uphold the legal freedom, follow the developing world and promote dynamic power. Its essence was to ally with the landlord class and established a solid centralization under the precondition of republicanism through connecting with Yuan Shikai. Based on this, a political transformation was carried out and democratic republicanism was fixed. Its theoretical system was "state- hold sovereignty" and political party politics, with political proposition to establish centralization republic government.The collusion, confliction and struggle between the Progressive Party and Yuan Shikai was a process. The Progressive Party fully supported Yuan Shikai around the Second Revolution. "The murder of Song Jiaoren" occurred, the Progressive Party advocated "to determine it by law" and did their utmost best to make an explanation for Yuan Shikai's unlawful acts of negotiating a foreign loan, they cooperated with Yuan Shikai even to crack down the Second Revolution. Simultaneously, they gave positive advice and suggestions for Yaun Shikai's usurping the formal grand president. But, after all the Progressive Party was a conservative bourgeois political party, not Yuan Shikai's hired one, it did not curry favour with his intention i...
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