从按察使职责的变化看晚清社会变迁

Study of Social Changes in Late Qing Dynasty in Terms of Changes of Provincial Judge′s Duties

按察使是清代省级主管司法的长官。晚清以前,我国传统社会发展缓慢,按察使职责变化甚微。晚清时期,由于西方资本主义列强的侵略、国内农民战争的推动,中国开始由传统社会向现代社会演变,社会性质、社会面貌发生了深刻变化。社会的变迁导致社会管理方式随之变革。晚清按察使履行法定职责,其内容悄然发生变化,增加了新的内容;清末新政进行地方官制改革,多项职责被剥离出去,按察使由无所不管的司法总管转变成专管司法行政的官员。按察使职责的这种变化,正是晚清社会变迁的一个缩影。

In the Late Qing Dynasty the provincial judge was in charge of the provincial judicature. As traditional Chinese society developed slowly before the Late Qing Dynasty the duties of the provincial judge changed little. In the Late Qing Dynasty, China was changing from a traditional society to a modern society because of the aggression of foreign countries and peasant wars. As a result, social properties and social landscape underwent profound changes. The social changes led to the changes of social management mode. In the Late Qing Dynasty statutory duties of the provincial judge also changed with new duties added. In the process of carrying out the new policies, the bureaucratic sys- tem reform reduced some of their duties. The provincial judge, who had been in charge of everything, changed to one in charge of only the judicial administration. This change was just an epitome of the so- cial changes of the Late Qing Dynasty.