“局”与晚清的近代化

Bureau and the modernization of Late Qing

“局”为应对19世纪中叶以来的新兴政务而设,因此从局的发展和变迁,可以看出晚清近代化的步伐。局大体经历了三个发展阶段:第一阶段为局的初步兴起。为了应付1853-1874年间的王朝叛乱,筹款和军需之局在战事中大量兴办。第二阶段为民政事务的局大量兴起。战后,为了恢复地方秩序,局由战事转为民事,其维护了地方社会的发展,造成了上海、汉口等初兴城市的地方自治。第三阶段,局成为国家官僚体系的组成部分。戊戌维新后,局在兴办农工商事务中的作用日益显著;清末新政改革,正式以局为国家官制改革的核心。局的兴办模式也随着发生了变化,由最初的军幕制度到委绅设局,再到科层管理,局的成熟终于成为现代文官制度确立的标志。

Bureau spang up in mid 19 century dealing with new government business. We can understand the step of the modernization of Late Qing Dynasty through the study of bureau. There were three phases for process of bureau. In the first phase ,when bureau sprung up elementarily from 1853 to 1874, it can be divided into two different kinds, including the bureaus either for fundraising or for munition. In the second phase, bureau came to deal with the affairs after war and paid more attention to the civil administration. It enabled the development of local society, especially local self-government in Shanghai and Hankow. The third phase was the process of systematization of bureau. Bureau became one part of normal administration of the Empire in 1910＇s. The organizational forms of bureau also developed, including ＂army aides and staff＂,＂participation of esquire＂ and ＂Bureaucracy＂.