A Study On State Power Distribution From The Late Qing Dynasty To The Early Republic Of China Based On The Analysis Of Constitutions

From the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China, China has been exploring and modifying the mode of state power distribution. There are two fundamental reasons behind this phenomenon. On the one hand, during that time, Chinese society was volatile with a underdeveloped economy and constrained by traditional feudal ideas.Foreign Powers were invading China and trying to control China. On the other hand, there were a group of democrats who fought for liberation and freedom, influencing the choice of mode of state power distribution. The various political groups that coexisted in an anfractuous international and domestic environment greatly influenced China's constitution concerning state power distribution as they took shape, developed and regrouped.During the last decade of Qing Dynasty, the ruling group introduced the largest scale reform in order to maintain their rule. Many measures were taken during that time. China witnessed the unprecedented political reform from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China,during which the Qing Dynasty could not control its development. The fundamental reason behind it was that the purpose of reform was to maintain the rule of the Qing Dynasty without the participation of those being ruled. However, with the development of reform, the feudal system was disintegrated and a new system supported by several constitutions was born.This paper discusses the mode of state power distribution from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China based on the constitutional instruments at that time. In general, constitutional theories at that time was influenced by the theory of separation of powers advanced during the Enlightment. From the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China, the mode of state power distribution was changing and was never finalized.Besides introduction and conclusion,this paper is composed of five parts, which analyse the characteristics and significance of the constitutional instruments from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China.From the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China, the transformation of China's state power distribution was once lost in a disordered society. Constitution which was used by Yuan Shih-kai to seize power dysfunctioned. But republicanism finally prevails feudalism which lost its appeal in China. A century ago, the Qing Dynasty conducted China's first constitutional reform; a century later, China is still reforming for the great rejuvenation.