Research On Cai Yuanpei's Political Thought

Mr.Cai Yuanpei is a famous democratic revolutionist, educator and thinker in Chinese modern history. He lives in the time when Chinese people has gone through various disasters. At that time, plenty of patriotic intellectuals explore difficultly and struggle unremittingly in order to find the out-way for China. Facing the times background which include domestic trouble,foreign invasion,and the frequenct chaos caused by war, it is the intellectuals who undertaken the historical duties to think the national out-way, to draw the times step and to reform the life faith,with their own personality spirit.Among these intellectuals, Mr.Cai Yuanpei is one of the outstanding representatives.The first part of the paper: the times background in which Cai Yuanpei's political thought produces. His political thought is the outcome of semi-colony and semifeudal society ,as well as the outcome of the change from old-democratic revolutionary to the new-democratic revolutionary. It has historical certainty and times characteristic. The second part of the paper: the major content of Cai Yuanpei's political thought include the followings: A, idea of national independence;B, idea of democratic politics,including these ideas that the people own and control the national sovereignty,and that the nation should make plan for the most person happinesses,and that the nation should be ruled by law;C,idea of socialism, including thoughts of mutual aid, Confucian socialism and Christian socialism. The third part of the paper: this part primarily elaborate the practice and influence of Cai Yuanpei's democratic idea in educational field. On political stage, Cai Yuanpei has no opportunity to practice his political thought, but,as an educator,he was offered a chance to apply his political idea to the practice in education.He insists that educational should be democratic and independent,he also appreciate student's character development,through which he has put up a free and democratic development platform for Chinese academic group, he has started the wind of academic freedom,he also has had a very deep influence in Chinese cultural development history. The fourth part of the paper: this part primarily Analyse the limitation of Cai Yuanpei's political thought and its source. Cai Yuanpei pursue bourgeois democracy all his life, so he can not stride a step forward all the time, thus his political thought unavoidably have a very deep brand of bourgeois democracy; Cai Yuanpei pursue democratic politics,and he hope that a free,equal,democratic political order could be established in China, but, he has not find a feasible political road that could realize it all along; Cai Yuanpei pursue socialism, but, he has not know the real spirit of socialism. He has felt the door wall of Marxism,but he never enter the threshold of scientific socialism, by studing and taking in various socialism thoughts, he go forward , but, he has not surmount the position of bourgeois democracy all along. The source of these limitations mainly lies in his class limitation, and it also lies in the sources of his thought and acquaintance.Cai Yuanpei is an outstanding revolutionist and democratic soldier,as well as a great thinker. He practises the pursue for equality, freedom and democracy all the life. His political thought is a chain in Chinese modern political ideological history , and he has made important contribution for the development of Chinese political ideological history.