The Attempt to Break Free from Subjects: Civic Consciousness and Civic Behavior in the Late Qing and Early Republican Era: Civic Consciousness and Civic Behavior in the Late Qing and Early Republican Era

Author: Chen Yongsen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: From holism to individuality and then to class consciousness, this is the trajectory of the development of civic consciousness in the late Qing and early Republican period, and also the unique perspective through which this book examines the history of modern Chinese thought. In the late Qing era, the awakening of civic consciousness was overshadowed by the consciousness of the nation in the face of historical crises, where the concept of the "people" was subordinated to that of the "nation," and civic ideas exhibited a national collectivism tendency. The May Fourth Movement highlighted the individuality of citizens, giving rise to a truly modern concept of citizenship. However, the calls for "individual liberation" and "liberalism" could not alleviate the increasingly acute class contradictions or address the livelihood issues of the lower classes. As a result, many intellectuals turned their attention to the "common people," and the class consciousness of citizens consequently became prominent.