中产阶级与西方法治进程

Middle Class and Western Rule-of-law Progress

法制是整个世界范围内的普遍现象,而法治却是西方社会独有的社会现象,究其深层原因,是西方社会结构变迁之特殊性使然。而这一特殊性就在于西方中产阶级的兴起,它改变了传统的社会结构,也使其社会发展呈现出不同于其他文明的独特轨迹。西欧中产阶级的兴起,为法治的形成奠定了社会结构性基础,使近代法治得以确立。而美国作为移民社会,其缔造者以身份普遍平等的中产阶级为主,他们建立起现代最为先进的民主宪政体制,成为众所接受的政治规范。因此,推进中国的法治进程也必须从建构法治的社会根基——中产阶级着手。

Legal system is a common phenomenon in the world, while rule-of-law remains a unique social phenomenon in western society. The reason lies in the particularity of the changes of western social structure, which is booming with western middle classes and changed traditional social structure and made social progress differ from other civilizations. The rising of western middle classes laid a solid foundation for the formation of rule-of-law in social structures and established modern rule-of-law system. The U.S. as an immigrant country enjoys the middle classes with equal status as her major part of society, who built an advanced domestic constitution system the political criterion is widely accepted. Therefore, to propel China＇s rule-of-law progress, we must start from building the social rule-of-law basis-middle class.