Follow the Three Principles of the People: “ism-ization” implemented by the Nationalist government, 1925-1937.
Date Issued
2015
Date
2015
Author(s)
Weng, Chi-An
Abstract
The study focuses on the process of how the Nationalist government promoted the idea of the Three Principles of the People between 1925 and 1937. The Nationalist government’s promotion on the Three Principles of the People has its significance, which reflects its transformation from “the era of transformation” to “age of ism.”'' Using the term “ism-ization” to define this process is to emphasize the characteristics of quasi-religious belief in the Three Principles of the People. People were expected to internally changed by the Three Principles and then deeply believe them, which leads to their obedience to the government. Therefore, the Three Principles of the People was the source of the legitimacy for the Nationalist government, and promoting the Three Principles of the People functioned as an important technique of governance. The content of this thesis falls into three parts to illustrate the historical process of “ism-ization”. The first part demonstrates the establishment of the Three Principles of the People. Sun Yat-sen and the Nationalists formulated “-ism” with theoretical system by making use of all kinds of “proposals” under the challenge from Communism and Socialism. The second part of this thesis discusses how the Nationalist government practiced the Three Principles of the People at the judicial level via legal regulations and practices at both central and local governments. The third part of this thesis approaches from personal level and discusses the official''s effort to create a life corresponding to the ‘-ism’ and to make people live in the “-ism.” Apart from the discussion of the responses from these conducts, what is more important in this thesis is to portrait the process of how the Nationalist government strived to balance between theory and reality. From historical outcome, the Nationalist government did not achieve its ideal which aims to use the Three Principles of the People to monopolize the ideology of modern China. The Three Principles were regarded as empty dogmas, however, the example of the Nationalist government still established a political model that operates according to this ideology. With the continuation of the ‘age of ism,’ these features had influenced the historical development afterward.
Subjects
ism
ism-ization
Three Principles of the People
Sun Yat-sen
Nationalist government
the era of transformation
age of “ism”
Type
thesis