Another Study Of Zhang Shizhao's Tiaoheliguolun

Tiaohelun (idea of compromise), a significant idea in Chinese modern political thought named after tiaoheliguolun , an important article on jiayin by Zhang Shizhao the editor-in-chief of the very periodical , had great influence on the May Fourth Movement and throughout the whole modern Chinese history. Resent years it has attracted many scholars' attention, while there still exists some defects in thesis connected with this topic , especially in the understanding and interpreting of the article tiaoheliguolun. So this dissertation tries to reveal its opponent and to reinterpreting its meaning and to revalue its significance. The first chapter demonstrates that it is not Yuan Shikai but Ding Foyan and other members of progress party and some other members from Kuomintang and their opinions on compromise did tiaoheliguolun aim at. Soon after the broke of World War I , China had to face a new but hazard international situation that Japan invaded on Tsingdao in Shandong province in name of declaring war on Germany. At that time , Ding Foyan , a progress party member and editor-in-chief of the Dazhonghua published a article in September putting forword with a proposal that the KMT stop the revolution against Yuan's administration. While the KMT members exiled in Tokyo divided into two sides, one part of moderate members headed by Huang Xing ,who organized an association called European Problems Seminar , claimed to act in prudence and in fact approved of suspending rebellion against Yuan. As a member of the association of European Problems and the editor-in-chief of Jiayin , the propaganda organ of E.P.S., Zhang published his tiaoheliguolun in allusion to these opinions about compromise policy . The second chapter tries to reunderstand the meaning of tiaoheliguolun , making clear that the whole article organized around the opinions of compromise. Zhang argued that the rule of compromise was feasible , while Ding's idea of compromise was not right . Subsequently Zhang reinterpreted the idea of compromise with the republic constitutionalism, and pointed out that the real compromising political system was at lest two political parties acted in parliament according to the virtues of resistibility and humility, which differented much from Ding's. The third chapter attempts to revalue Zhang's idea of compromise , illustrating that Zhang clarified his belief in constitutionalism , and that in his criticism on despotism he banished the illusion on Yuan. What Zhang had elucidated on compromise was in a sense a kind of revolutionary spirit at that time, contrary to some scholar's opinion that Zhang's idea of compromise emphasized the balance between contradiction and made the spirit of middle-of-the-road absolute and ideal and magnified.