辛亥革命的历史意义和世界意义

The Historical and Worldwide Significance of the Revolution of 1911

Xiaoqiu Wang

Department of History, Peking University

Abstract

This year is the centenary of the Revolution of 1911 in China. This revolution which happened a century ago and its historical and worldwide significance should be studied, understood and elucidated in the great historical vision and international perspective. Mr. Sun Yat-sen once said: “The tide of world events is mighty. Those who follow it prosper, whereas those who resist it perish.” The historical and worldwide significance of the Revolution of 1911 is none other than following the historical trend of the world democratic revolution and the national liberation movement in the early 20th century.

As far as the historical significance of the Revolution of 1911 is concerned, first of all, it overthrew the Qing Dynasty which had ruled China for two hundred and sixty years, and opened the way for our national re-establishment and revitalization. In the early 20th century, China’s ethnic conflicts and social contradictions were unprecedentedly sharp. Chinese people lived in dire poverty due to the plunder of the imperialism, the brutal rule of the Qing government and the continual natural disasters. However, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty surrendered externally, while corrupted and tyrannized internally; furthermore, they protected Manchu influential officials' interests obstinately. Actually, the Qing Dynasty’s decayed rule at that time had impeded China's social progress and the development of productive forces severely. Therefore, through the armed struggle and the cooperation of variety of social forces, the revolutionaries which consisted of the new intellectuals as the backbone, launched mobilization, and finally overthrew the Qing Dynasty, removed the obstacles for China's progress and national revitalization.

The second great achievement of the Revolution of 1911 is that it ended the autocratic monarchy which has ruled China for thousands of years, and established the first republic in

Chinese history——The Republic of China. Different from the regime change all through the ages, the Revolution of 1911 became a milestone in China's historic transformation. It made people interiorize the concept of democracy and republic, and made it a common view that “those who support monarchy and want to be emperors will be crusaded against by the whole world.” Therefore, the subsequent restoration of monarchy of Yuan Shih-kai and Zhang Xun was crusaded by the whole country immediately, and soon came to ignominious defeat in the end. In a word, the Revolution of 1911 overthrew the emperor and monarchical power which had been regarded as supreme, sacred and inviolable existence since ancient times, and brought a great ideological emancipation to Chinese people.

Thirdly, the Revolution of 1911 also contributed to the positive changes of China's politics, economics, culture, education, and social customs. For instance, Nanjing Provisional Government of the Republic of China promulgated the “Temporary Provisional Constitution” which declared people's rights. They also established the Senate which made the Congress by the election, and built the Ministry of Industry which issued a series of policies and measures which were good for national industry and commerce, and also promoted the development of national capitalist economy. Furthermore, it promoted the development of national education and advocated transformation of social traditions. It destroyed the bad convention of the old age completely, such as men’s braids and women’s bound feet. These changes not only changed the social atmosphere, but also contributed to people's spiritual liberation.

Last but not the least, the Revolution of 1911 also has major worldwide significance. Firstly, it dealt a heavy blow to the imperialistic colonial system and the forces of aggression. Those powerful countries lost their agent in China--the Qing government, and the imperialism’s ruling order and aggressive interest--the largest semi-colonial country in the east was also shacked. Secondly, the Chinese Revolution of 1911 greatly encouraged and promoted the national liberation movement and the democratic movement in Asia. Sun Yat-sen and the Chinese revolutionaries actively supported and assisted the national independence movement in Vietnam, Korea, Philippines and other countries as well. Thirdly, Sun Yat-sen's “Three Principles of the People” and his ideas about the revitalization of Asia, meanwhile the concept “The world belongs