Political Transformation in Late Qing China: Focusing on the Constitutional Reforms of the Late Qing Dynasty

Author: Gao Wang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-07-01
Features: This book argues that the constitutional reforms during the late Qing Dynasty were an important part of the modernization movements in various countries. The late Qing administrative reforms were oriented towards the separation of powers and checks and balances, further differentiating political structures and functions, and establishing a preliminary modern political system. However, due to the Qing court's racial prejudices, in the process of strengthening centralization, they concentrated power among the Manchus, thereby exacerbating conflicts between the central government and local authorities, making it difficult for the government's reform policies to be effectively implemented. The Qing court's local autonomy policies gave the broad masses the right to participate. The practice of these policies strongly promoted the development of political participation and had certain positive effects on fostering the national consciousness of the people and the incubation of early Chinese civil society. However, the practice of local autonomy not only intensified conflicts between autonomous units and the central government but also accelerated the weakening of central authority, further deepening the government's crisis of legitimacy.