A Probe Into The Relationship Between The Home Rule In The Late Qing Dynasty And Japan

During the time span of the late19th century and the early20th century, QingDynasty has formed a ideological trend of Home Rule. Although Home Rule, as thebasis of the constitutionalism, ends up as a failure, its appearance and significance arestill worth exploration. Japan exerts its great influence on the Home Rule theoreticaland practically. After the Sino-Japanese War of1894-1895, the Qing Dynasty began tore-examined Japan, believing that the rising of the Japan lies in the reforms. Therefore,the Qing Government began to send overseas students to Japan to learn from them,and also organize court officials to investigate the Japanese political policies. Thereformists and local merchants also maintain that we should learn from Japan in orderto recover from the crisis at home and abroad. Thus, the main purpose of theautonomous policy is to imitate Japanese local government systems. in1909, the QingGovernment put forward the Local Autonomy Charter. In1910, the Local AutonomyCharter is licensed, announcing the beginning of the Home Rule. These two chartersboth regard the ShiZhi nobutaka system and the prefectural system as the blueprint.After the regulations are put forth, every province began to establish the institute tocarry out the policy.This dissertation, from the perspective of the formation of Home Rule, theexperiment of Home Rule, and the regulations of Home Rule, explores the implicationof Home Rule under the influence of Japan. The whole paper is composed of thefollowing four chapters:Chapter one is a general introduction about the ideological trend of localself-government and Japan. The implication of Japan to the Home Rule in the QingDynasty can be divided into three stages. The first period is the recognition of Japan’sHome Rule represented by Huang Zunxian. During the period from Sino-JapaneseWar to the late20th century, the Home Rule is accepted and recognized by thereformists. The third period is the enaction of the Home Rule decrees and theformation of Home Rule, mainly by the propagation of the overseas students to Japan.Chapter two mainly covers the experiment of the local autonomy and Japan.Firstly, taking Hunan and Zhili as examples, the practice of the Home Rule, therelationship of the home-rule policy practice and Japan is elucidated. Secondly, thepractice of the constitutionalism in the late Qing Dynasty is elaborated. From the perspective of the ministers going abroad and the memorials, the recognition andsuggestions are investigated and the application of the Home Rule.Chapter three covers the Home Rule regulations. A contrastive study of the LocalAutonomy Charter in ZhiLiSheng and Tianjin, the Prefectural System, and the HomeRule Charter in the town and country and the Shizhi Nobutaka System, expling theimplication of Japan to the Home Rule regulations.Chapter four is the conclusion. The function of Japan in the burgeon andapplication of the Home Rule by the Qing Dynasty should not be neglected.