KMT's Political Measures For Coping With The Constitutional Politics

After the 2nd Sino-Japanese War,KMT was hard to continue to ruleunder the name of the training politics and had to consider to transform to theconstitutional politics,so convened National Assembly of Drawing up aConstitution in November 15,1946. KMT planed to force CCP to attend theNational Assembly dominated by it through its advantageous situation onbattlefield,and if CCP refused,it would defeat CCP relying on military forcebefore the constitutional politics was carried out.However, KMT did notreach purpose, not only CCP and Democratic Alliance refused to attend theNational Assembly on the ground of sticking to the agreement of the PoliticalConsultative Conference,but also unfavorable changes happened on its civilwar battlefield.It would impose an unbearable burden and impact on KMT to carry outconstitutional politics under the condition that its war situation worsenedcontinuously:KMT's lax organization system is hard to deal with theconversion of political system;Chiang Kai-shek's power and status wound bebeated by the struggle over interest of factions within KMT in the course ofsystem transformation; the civil war would be affected by the constitutionalelection and the constitution having a certain democratic quality.But if KMTpostponed the constitutional politics therefore again,it would lose politicalreputation thoroughly and could not face the pressure of Americangovernment.KMT also wished to delay its collapse time through carrying outthe constitutional politics to wait for the changes in the international situationwhich could give KMT's crisis-ridden regime a turn for the better.So KMTconvened National Assembly of Implementing a Constitution in March 29,1948 in Nanjing.In order to guarantee the stability of its politics and war situation duringthe period of constitutional politics,KMT adopted a series of politicalmeasures between the two national assemblies.These political measuresincluded:1,To rectify party's organization. In order to be adjusted to the systemtransformation,KMT opened the Third and the Forth Session of its SixthNational Committee to carry out political reformation: in theparty-government relation KMT presented the policy of thegovernment-via-party,which would be fit to the principle of party-governmentseparation during the period of constitutional politics and regulate theparty-government relation during the period of training politics; in the relationbetween KMT and Youth League of Three People's principles,KMT decidedto integrate the two organizations,which could alleviate their conflict on thegovernment elections and coordinate the policy of the government-via-partyon the basis of perfecting KMT's organization system .Though KMT hopedto continue being in power in a more reasonable manner through politicalreformation in the period of constitutional politics, it did not mean that KMTgave up the principle of one party-rule.It is on the basis of monopolizing theregime that KMT dared to control government in an indirect manner.2,To strengthen Chiang Kai-shek's power and status.In order to maintainKMT's political stability and his own rule,Chiang Kai-shek spared no effort tostrengthen his power: in the party,Chiang had already gotten KMT'slegitimism,so he strengthened his power mainly by employing factionspolitics;on the one hand he enhanced his son's status in KMT by integratingKMT and Youth League and let his own clique seize the party's organizationsyetem; on the other hand he restrained the strength of Guixi and was opposedto Li Zong-ren campaigning for vice president ; in the constitutionalgovernment, he was not satisfied with the power of President endowed byConstitution of Republic of China in 1946, and strengthened his autocraticpower by "Temporary Provisions in the Period of National Mobilization forSuppression of the Communist Rebellion".Chiang Kai-shek's pursuingautocratic power destroyed the principle of balance of power of constitutionalpolitics.3,To Strengthen war system in local state.In order to shake off the fettersof constitutional politics for civil war, KMT strengthened their war system:(1)carry out "Mobilization for the Suppression of Communist Rebellion" andpublish a series of decrees which composed a social mobilization system.Thesystem determined the warring states between KMT and CCP,and couldsupply the war with material safeguard.(2)establish the system of army andgovernment institution in local regime which could provide system sustain forits civil war and make KMT control the local government firmly during theperiod of constitutional politics . The establishment of war system destroyedthe principle of the protection of civil rights and local autonomy,and meansthat KMT implemented army-rule under the name of constitutional politics.KMT's political measures for coping with the constitutional politics hadthe quality of concentration of power,which caused these results includingmargining Constitution of the Republic of China in 1946 which should bepolitical center during the period of constitutional politics and making thepolitical order of Nanjing government during the constitutional politicsbecome KMT's one-party rule decorated by small parties joining thegovernment and Chiang Kai-Shek's personal autarchy rule based on the localmilitary rule. At the same time KMT's measures had the quality of politicalrectification, which showed KMT's synthetical consideration about theconstitutional politics question: firstly, wanted to make American governmentbe hauled in Chinese affairs and get American sustenance; secondly carriedout political rectification actively in the process of preparing for constitutionalpolitics, strengthened its rule ability, and then stabilized their war and politicalsituation by the combined effort of internal and external factors .But KMT's political measures for coping with the constitutional politics...