试论南宋的社会政治生态及其成因

An analysis of the social and political ecology in the Southern Song and its contributing factors

对于南宋的社会政治生态,以往学术界的评价大都很低,主要认为:一是权相政治,帝王并无多少权力;二是腐败无能,只顾享受、不图进取;三是赋税繁多,农民负担沉重。不过历史事实告诉我们,南宋虽然出现了四次权相专权的局面,但在一个半世纪的统治中,帝王仍牢牢地掌握着大权,士大夫在政治上也有一定的发言权,民变虽然不断,但没有构成对政权的直接威胁,整个社会相对显得和谐。出现这种政治生态的原因,一是南宋秉承了北宋以来的一系列祖宗家法,从制度层面上防范了"内患"的发生。二是注重儒家道德的教育,使忠君爱国思想成了社会上比较普遍的核心价值观。三是帝王作风的"民主化"倾向,增强了统治集团的内部团结和减少施政中的失误。四是最高统治者的相对节俭和对民生的关怀,争取了民心。但是,南宋毕竟是一个封建社会,其历史局限性的存在,特别是对腐败惩治不力,贪官污吏横行,势必影响到社会的稳定,削弱了防御外侮的能力。

Most scholars thought poorly of the social and political ecology in the Southern Song for the reasons that 1) it had a powerful prime minister politics, and the emperors had not too much authority; 2) its corruption, inefficiency,hedonism, and not enterprising; 3) it burdened the peasants with heavy taxes. However, the historical facts show that the emperors kept a tight hand on power during the one-and-half-century long dynasty in spite of four periods of powerful prime minister. And the scholar-bureaucrats could expressed their voices in politics. Although rebellions took place continuously, they had not become critical threats to the regime, and the society as a whole seemed relatively harmonious. The first reason for the political ecology is the dynasty stuck to the imperial family's'forefathers' practices' as institutional arrangements to prevent the internal troubles. Second, it paid great attention to inculcation of the Confucianist morals to make loyalty to the throne and patriotism widely spread values.Third, the emperors' 'democratic'inclination in their ruling style increased internal solidarity of the ruling group and reduced mistakes in governance. Forth, the top rulers' relatively frugality and their care for people's living won popular support. However, the South Song is above all a feudal society. Its limitations and inability to punish officials' rampant corruption would inevitably have impacts on social stability and weaken its ability to resist foreign threats.