地方自治中的统一诉求——北洋时期四川“省自治运动”研究

The Demand for Unity in Local Autonomy—A Study on the Provincial Autonomy Movement in Sichuan during the Beiyang Government Period

北洋时期中央政府权力式微,国家陷入分裂。由于中央推进“武力统一”受挫,以“省自治”实现地方统一,进而联络数省实现区域政治一体化,成为“武力统一”的替代方案。处于南北交锋地带的四川,在北洋政府“武力统一”过程中呈现分裂战乱局面。为结束地方分裂,四川在驱逐“客军”后脱离南北阵营,收束地方军队,制订省宪,初步实现省自治与局部统一,并与湖南等省联合推动旨在抵制北洋政府“武力统一”、自身却同样包含“统一”取向的“联省自治”运动。然而,由于支撑自治的地方军人缺乏统一实力,以“省自治”整合地方进而建构统一国家的尝试难以实施。随着省自治失败,北洋时期的政治整合最终重回“武力统一”轨道。

During the Beiyang Military Administration(1912-1928),the power of the central government weakened and the country was divided.As the central government was frustrated in its efforts to achieve“unification by force”,local unification through the provincial autonomy and regional political integration by unifying several provinces became an alternative.The traditional point of view emphasizes the opposition between the provincial autonomy,which is the basis of inter-provincial autonomy,and the construction of national unity.However,either from the perspective of Federalism or from the practice of the provincial autonomy,the seemingly“separatist”demands for the local autonomy do not necessarily constitute an opposition force for national unification.The provincial or inter-provincial autonomy was chosen as a solution to the political chaos in China due to the failure of Unification by Force led by the Beiyang government.Disappointed,the Chinese had to look for a new way to achieve national unification.Sichuan,which was at an area between the conflicting Beiyang force and Southwest warlords,was divided and in turmoil.Since neither the Beiyang government nor the Southwest Group could achieve the goal of unification,Sichuan turned to achieve partial unification through provincial autonomy,as a step to drive for national unification.In 1920,with the support of local public opinion,the local military group that supported provincial autonomy expelled the troops of other provinces(ke jun)from Sichuan,declaring itself to be separated from the conflict between Beiyang government and Southwest Group.Sichuan then established an autonomous government in July,1921,realizing provincial autonomy.To end the political division and maintain its provincial autonomy and partial unification,the new autonomous government of Sichuan followed the public opinion,taking measures to consolidate local armies and reduce military expenditure.At the same time,a provincial constitution was formulated to legitimate provincial autonomy in terms of jurisprudence while affirming the principle of national unity and clearly stipulating that the scope of the province s autonomy is not in conflict with the Constitution of the Republic of China.Sichuan then joined Hunan and other provinces to seek inter-provincial autonomy by sending troops to Hubei to resist the unification by force led by the Beiyang government.Under the name of the provincial autonomy,local stability in Sichuan was restored,and the military and political chaos in Southwest China were temporarily eased.However,the lack of the local generals power to seek unification had made it difficult to build a unified nation by integrating the local forces through provincial autonomy.With the failure of the war in Hubei,the local generals in Sichuan split again into factions,and the voice for unification by force re-emerged.With the failure of provincial autonomy in Sichuan,the politics of China eventually reverted to unification by force.