民国元年袁世凯的困惑

Yuan Shikai's Confusion during the First Year of the Republic of China

辛亥革命前,革命党几乎完全忽略了在国内对共和理论的宣传。袁世凯主张变法救国、君主立宪,但对西方文化政治理论知之甚少。辛亥革命爆发之后,共和的观念被大汉族主义和种族革命的膨胀性宣传所湮没。孙中山颁布的《临时约法》给袁世凯做了一个因人废法、因人修法的不良示范,袁世凯的智囊们设想的国家体制与治国方略仍然是"开明专制",袁世凯曾经试图了解共和制的意义,主张效法美法,但他更多地看到的是中国国民素质需要提高的一面,从而淡化了对共和理论和制度的探求。先天不足,后天失调,国体虽变,理念依旧,共和国的大总统袁世凯既不知道共和制国家是个什么样子,也不知道共和政体优越性在哪里。

Before the Xinhai Revolution,the revolutionary parties completely ignored the propaganda of republicanism in China.Yuan Shikai advocated constitutional monarchy and saving China through political reforms,but he was barely exposed to western culture and political ideas.Following the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution,republicanism was eclipsed by the overwhelming propaganda of the Han Chauvinism and racial revolution.The Provisional Constitution of the Republic of China,which was promulgated by Sun Yat-sen,set a bad example for Yuan Shikai in the aspect of revising laws to meet personal needs and forcing legislative revision with personal authority.The state system and statecraft envisioned by Yuan Shikai’s think-tank were still"enlightened despotism".Yuan once tried to comprehend the meaning of republicanism.He advocated following the example of France and the United States.But he was more aware of Chinese people’s national quality which required further improvement.This consideration downplayed his exploration and pursuit of republicanism.In the course of time,Yuan’s ideology remained the same though the national system had been altered.As the president of the Republic of China,he knew neither what a republican country looked like,nor the superiority of the republican regime.