National Revolution and Unification Construction (The Struggles of Sun Yat-sen and Kuomintang/Communist Figures in the Early 20th Century)

Author: Zhou Xingliang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: This book explores the relationship between the characters of the Kuomintang and Communist Party of China and the changes and transformations in the political landscape of early 20th-century China, as well as their different performances and roles in this period of major transformation. The "Modern China: Politics and Society Transformation" academic research series is the final outcome of the "985" research project at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, focusing on the relationship between political and social changes in modern China. Politics is a broad and complex concept. This project discusses politics in a broad sense, expanding the research scope to political thought, political institutions, international environment, foreign relations, and important political figures and events in modern China. By combining politics and society, it examines the relationship between politics and the economy, the impact of politics on education and talent cultivation, the role of politics in social stability and civilization progress, and politics in foreign relations, especially the political attitudes of some key figures and the social impact of their governance theories, policies, and methods. It aims to conduct a multi-angle, multi-level analysis using the theories and methods of political sociology to explore the interactive relationship between politics and society, and to evaluate the correctness of political ideas, propositions, and the governance of political figures based on the stability, progress, development, and level of civilization of society. This is a new attempt. Modern Chinese politics was formed under the political framework of a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. On one side were capitalistic imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism, which held the ruling power of China; on the other side were the vast patriotic and revolutionary masses and various intellectuals pursuing progress and keeping pace with the trend of the times. These two sides represented two social forces in China and reflected two prospects for modern China. Their political ideas, thoughts, and proposals for reforming China constrained the development path of modern China. Modern Chinese politics is the central content and basic background for examining the social transformation of modern China. In modern China, political power is held by the broad masses of the people, with the central government led by the Communist Party of China as the power center. The state focuses its efforts on developing the economy, culture, and education, rapidly advancing Chinese society. Previous research on modern Chinese history has achieved fruitful results and significant breakthroughs in various aspects, but there are also shortcomings. For example, the key hub controlling the transformation of modern Chinese society—political change—has relatively weak research on its social impact, and there is an urgent need for more research and higher standards. There is also a trend of research focus shifting from various social aspects back to the center and an objective requirement for improving research from specific studies to a holistic grasp. Previous political history research focused on class struggle and revolutionary movements, unidirectionally explaining the turmoil and instability caused by political change in society, and to some extent limited the expansion of the field and theoretical advancement of modern Chinese political history research. This project takes the interactive relationship between modern Chinese politics and social change as the basic starting point, establishing an innovative and era-specific macro-explanation system based on existing micro-research. Guided by the expansion of observational scope and the deepening of research levels, it aims to enhance research standards and open new paths through the combination of macro and micro research and innovative methods. Modern Chinese political history is an important aspect of modern Chinese history research. Overall, past research has been characterized by both a large number of achievements and severe flaws, leaving considerable room for further development. Sun Yat-sen University has a strong tradition and advantage in researching modern Chinese political thought, political institutions, political figures, and international relations. It leads domestic and international academia in studies on Sun Yat-sen and modern Chinese politics, adheres to academic norms, and has long fostered a spirit of seeking truth and cooperation among scholars, showing great potential in multiple areas. The "Modern China: Politics and Society Transformation" project involves senior professors and doctoral supervisors, postdoctoral researchers, and the rest are doctoral graduates, forming a research team with a mix of experience levels. Each member explores new frontiers based on their interests and research findings. Many of the works are their doctoral theses, which received excellent evaluations from their dissertation committees after repeated revisions before being published. They have conducted specialized research on the relationship between modern Chinese politics and society from different perspectives, each with unique characteristics and strengths, demonstrating foresight and academic rigor. The "Modern China: Politics and Society Transformation" academic series presented to readers is the result of their hard work, and we hope these achievements will help people understand the relationship between politics and social change from new angles. Of course, we also expect criticism and guidance from readers and the academic community. This book is based on a large amount of first-hand materials and comprehensively discusses the political strategies of the Nationalist Party government in governing the northwest since the 1920s, as well as its specific practices and achievements in politics, economy, military, culture, and ethnic and religious affairs. It analyzes the internal conditions of the time, such as local warlord rule, local governance, and social characteristics. This is an overall account of the Nationalist government's "development of the northwest."