Formation Of The Patriotic Spirit Of The National Southwestern United University And Its Historical Roles

The National Southwestern United University was the one composed of PekingUniversity, Tsinghua University and Nankai University when the three universitiesmoved to Yunnan during the early years of the War of Resistance against Japan. Itwas the largest one in the country at that time and made great achievements. Theuniversity began and ended with the War of Resistance against Japan. Under theextremely hard conditions in the eight years of the war, the university did not stopteaching and learning, and turned out a whole generation of scholars famous at homeand abroad and numerous outstanding talents for building the country. And thus theuniversity is praised as "a wonder in the history of Chinese education". Researchersgenerally believe that in the process of the creation of the "wonder", the spirit of theSouthwestern United University is an important driving force that supported andenlightened teachers and students in devoting themselves to their duty and inpursuing knowledge in the war fire and poverty. And it is also an important factor thatencouraged them to make outstanding achievements. The spirit of the SouthwesternUnited University includes the patriotic, the democratic and the scientific spirit andthe patriotic spirit is its spiritual connotation. However, generally speaking, asystematic and comprehensive study has not been conducted on this issue in theacademic circle. In this thesis, efforts are made in analyzing factors that influencedand decided the formation of the patriotic spirit in the National Southwestern UnitedUniversity. Based on the literature and historical materials of the university andresearch results existing, the War of Resistance against Japan is treated as abackground, and the connotations of the patriotic spirit of the university and itsimportant historical roles are systematically and completely disclosed. Through a deep and systematic study, it is assumed in the thesis that the formationof the patriotic spirit of the National Southwestern United University is thecontinuation and development of the patriotic spirit of the three componentuniversities. At the same time, such a patriotic spirit is closely correlated with the Warof Resistance against Japan and with the national salvation movement and thestruggle against the dictatorial governing. Patriotic spirit is a deep emotion of one'snationality and nation, formed on the basis of the requirements of history and theepoch. It is a serious concern about the fate of one's nationality and a strong sense ofsocial responsibility as he is a member of the nationality. Such a social feeling is akind of inner social psychological state. Though there were differences for everyteacher or student in their understanding of the current situation and in their attitudetoward the situation, under a certain historical condition, owing to the stimulation ofvarious factors, there was the psychological consensus among teachers and studentsof the university. Such stimulation factors include the national oppression provokedby the war of the all-round invasion of China launched by the Japanese imperialists,and the national worry and thinking provoked by KMT's corruptive governing andpassive attitude toward the War of Resistance against Japan. Hard life temperedteachers and students and their patriotic affections of striving unceasingly to becomestronger were cultivated. The patriotic enthusiasm of teachers and students influencedeach other. At the same time, there was the cultivation of the patriotic environment onthe campus of the National Southwestern United University that also played an activepromotion role in the formation of the patriotic spirit of the university.Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University that composed theNational Southwestern United University have glorious patriotic tradition. Patriotism,as a historical category, has different connotations in different stages of the socialdevelopment and in different periods. Therefore, when the War of Resistance againstJapan broke out, the patriotic spirit of the National Southwestern United Universitywas endowed with new connotations in the struggle for saving the nation, preservingthe educational talents of the Chinese nation, and against Chiang Kai-shek'sdictatorial governing. Such connotations are expressed in the high sense ofresponsibility of teachers and students of the university for the fate of the nation andnationality, in the cooperative spirit of uniting as one in the struggle for nationalindependence and in the spirit of daring to struggle when facing the dictatorialgoverning. The patriotic spirit of the university has played an important role thatsupports young students in their struggle for democracy and against oppression, andencourages teachers and students to devote themselves to the duty, to pursueknowledge and to devote themselves for the nation in years of hard life. It is part ofan important component of our national spirit.