明初政治博弈视阈下沈万三家族衰落原因探析

Searching for the Causes of the Decline of Shen Wansan’s Family in Early Ming Dynasty from the Perspective of Political Game

明初,沈万三家族竭力欲和新政权搞好关系,但成效有限,依然不断遭到明廷打压,灾祸频仍,日趋没落。究其原因,这与明廷重农抑商、打击豪强、穷治党狱,以及沈家生活奢靡、个别亲属行为不端,甚至卷入政治斗争等因素息息相关。沈氏家族的盛衰是元末明初社会巨变和政治博弈的一个缩影。其家族悲剧既是明初激烈的政治斗争的牺牲品,具有一定的必然性,又带有鲜明的咎由自取色彩,具有一定的偶然性。其教训深刻,发人深省。

Shen Wangsan’s family accumulated great wealth during the period of late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty.The strong will to keep good relations with the new empire worked little and the Shen family gradually declined with the constantly crackdown from the Ming court,which were closely related not only to the Ming’s political preferences such as emphasizing agriculture but restraining commerce,restricting the powerful families,and thoroughly eradicating the partisanship,but also to the family’s individual misconducts such as being involved in the political struggles.The rise and decline of the Shen family could be a microcosm of the great social changes during the period of late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty,from which the profound historical lessons could be learned.