Research On Cai Yuanpei's Democratic Thought

Cai Yuanpei is a great democratic revolutionist and educator in Chinese modern history. He made a indelible contribution for the modern China's democratic process especially for the education modernization.He lives in the transition time when the Chinsese old system gradually goes to collapse and the new system starts to breed. Facing the times background which include domestic trouble, foreign invasion, and the frequent chaos caused by war, Cai Yuanpei is concerned about country and people, always stands in the forefront of the times,diligently explores the out-way and development of Chinese society, and keeps struggling for democracy and republican, which makes him form the democratic ideology filled with rich time characteristic and become a democracy thinker. He is also a thoroughly democracy practice, utilizes the democratic thought and theory in his successful mattermerit and left rich thought resources for later generation China, which is worth thoroughly studying. This article is divided into four parts. The first part analyzed the background and the thought origin, pointed out the origination of Cai Yuanpei's democratic thought influenced by both the Confucianism and the anti-feudal autocracy democratic thought, and also by the France bourgeoisie Great Revolution brought and the many western kinds of society ideological trend. With the national crisis got into serious situation day by day, traditional confucianist's thought and the western culture changed his democratic thought.The second part mainly discussed Cai Yuanpei's democratic thought forming process, which divides Cai Yuanpei's democratic thought formation into four steps: the patriotism; the reformism; the democracy thought and gradually the democracy thoughts containing socialism factor.The third part elaborated the content and performance of Cai Yuanpei's democratic thought, analyzed Cai Yuanpei's basic conception about the democratic political with emphasis, and the performance of his democratic ideas in their educational career.The fourth part focused on the main contribution and limits of Cai Yuanpei's democratic ideas. This paper thinks that Cai Yuanpei's democratic thought made great contribution to the development of Chinese democratic politics in early 20th centery, poured the fresh air into the current thinkers, and also had profound influence. However, as a result of time and social class's limitation,Cai Yuanpei's democracy thoughts deeply influenced by the confucian doctrine"moderate thinking"has much difference with the democratic ideas in modern meaning which is mainly taken as to a scale, means for dealing with the political events and analysing political problems.