Research On LiangQichao's Constitutional Government Ideology

LiangQichao is an outstanding patriot, a famous enlightened thinker and also a jurist who has made a lot of contributions in Chinese modern times. To modern China, the constitutional government ideology roots in the Chinese understanding of the constitutional government in the western world. LiangQichao is the earliest scholar to make a systematic elaboration on constitutional government ideology. The effect and influence of his translated introduction and oratorical elaboration of constitutional government theory has gone beyond any jurist since modern times. The Chinese thought on constitutional government problem is triggered off by the western invasions. In 1840, the English opened the door of China by means of opium and cannons. To rescue national crisis and strive for national independence has become the main theme of modern society. Therefore, to reform the feudal misgovernment so as to make China take the road to capitalism with the final goal to save the nation from extinction has become the consentaneous request of patriotic personage with high ideals. The Reform Movement of 1898 is the focused manifestation of the request. The reform persons of ideals and integrity regarded "promoting civil right, striving for democracy, setting up parliament and establishing constitution"as the political programme and for the first time placed the spearhead of the reform to the feudal autocracy. The Reform Movement soon failed but it raised the curtain on the constitutional movement in modern China. From then on, the advanced intellectuals took the road to explore the realization of democracy in China. LiangQichao, one of the main leaders of the Reform Movement, had always been the traveler on this road from then on. On the road of LiangQichao to pursue the constitutional government ideology, the Reform ideology is just a beginning. LiangQichao's constitutional government ideology is still in the embryonic stage in this period. During his ten years in exile abroad, his ideology of constitutional government received full-grown development. After the Revolution of 1911, his constitutional ideology reached maturity. Having his bosom filled with patriotic enthusiasm and persistent ideology of constitutional government, LiangQichao trudged ceaselessly on the road of constitutional government. Though being in exile abroad, he did not stop the exploration of constitutional government problem in China. When he returned to the homeland to participate in government and political affairs, he did not forget to conscientiously carry out republicanism. He raised the flag of nation protection to oppose YuanShikai's proclamation of emperor. When ZhangXun restored the dethroned monarch, he roused to use the pen as the sword to condemn the restoration and became the hero who reconstructed the republic. Just this kind of consistent struggle makes him not only influence the current political situation but also leave us a munificent gift. He has an integrated system of capitalist constitutional government ideology. This system includes propagandizing civil right idea which can be used to arouse civil right consciousness and be used as the theoretical foundation for striving for constitutional government and the social foundation for constitutional government realization and systematically criticizing feudal autocracy to arouse civil yearn for democracy, establishing constitution as the basis for constitutional government striving and the guarantee of constitutional government realization, consisting on separation of the three powers and preventing autocracy by means of denial autocracy of separated power. These are the contributions LiangQichao has made to the constitutional government movement in China. To realize constitutional government to save the country is the lifetime thinking theme for LiangQichao. The four parts of LiangQichao's constitutional government ideology is an organic whole. To propagandize civil right idea and to arouse civil consciousness of right is the primary and crucial link in the constitutional government movement; to criticize the feudal autocracy and to arouse the civil yearn for democracy is the necessary work for the initiation of constitutional government; to establish constitution is the basis of constitutional government striving, the means to enhance constitutional government and the guarantee to develop constitutional government; to carry...