从“内外”到“三权”——辛亥革命前夕帝国的权力新格局

From"Inside and Outside"to"Three Powers":The New Patterns of Power in the Empire on the Eve of the Revolution of 1911

自1930年代以来,学界探讨晚清权力结构,都在“内”“外”的框架下言说,或称咸同军兴以来一直是“外重内轻”,或称清末新政期间演化成了“内外皆轻”。谈及晚清权力结构的影响,学界都与民初的军阀割据相联系。其实,预备立宪期间,权力结构发生了超出“内”“外”格局,朝着三权鼎立方向发展的新变化。在此过程中,崛起的不仅仅是军人,还有绅士。这两个集团在推翻清廷的过程中都发挥了重要作用,且在民初共享政权,北洋时期的政治舞台上不但有军阀,也有绅士,不但有割据,也有宪政,这是清季权力结构新变化造成的影响。

Since the 1930 s,scholars have discussed the political power structure in the late Qing Dynasty from the point of view of"inside"(central government)and"outside"(local government).Some scholars believed that the outside was more powerful than the inside after Taiping Rebellion.On the contrary,some scholars believed that both inside and outside were powerless during the Xinzheng Reform of the late Qing Dynasty.Scholars also believed that the power structure of the late Qing Dynasty had an impact on the warlord regimes in the early years of the Republic of China.In fact,the power structure had superceded the"inside"and"outside"pattern,when it began moving in the direction of separation of three powers during the preparatory constitutional period.Moreover,when the structure of power changed,not only militarists,but also gentry,became important forces.These two groups played an important role in the overthrow of the Qing government,and in the early years of the Republic,militarists and gentry shared power.When the Northern Warlord Government occupied the political stage,the power structure included not only warlords,but also gentry,not only separatists but also constitutionalists.This was the influence of the changes in the power structure in the last years of Qing dynasty.