Subjectively, it is reactionary: its purpose is to please the great powers, contain the revolutionary situation and eliminate the ruling crisis.
② The nature of activities is backward: it is still not beyond the category of "Chinese style and western use".
(3) From the objective impact, it is progressive: these concessions made by the Qing government are in line with the trend of social development and the aspirations of the bourgeoisie, and are conducive to China's modernization.
(4) From the practical point of view, it is deviated: from the direct impact, it has caused people to resist and alienate the Manchu landlords and bourgeois constitutionalists, which not only weakened their own rule, but also promoted the upsurge of the revolutionary situation; From the fundamental influence, the sent overseas students became the disseminators of anti-Qing democratic revolutionary ideas, and the new army trained became the main force of Wuchang Uprising. Incentive industry promoted the development of capitalism, which not only laid the economic and class foundation for the Revolution of 1911, but also fundamentally disintegrated the foundation of feudal economy. Westernization Movement, Reform and Reform, New Deal and Constitutionalism are all top-down reforms adopted by the Qing government to consolidate its rule, and they are all products of the impact of the world capitalist trend, but the ultimate reason is the backwardness of nature.
How to evaluate "New Deal" and "Preparatory Constitutionalism"?
The contents of "New Deal" and "Preparatory Constitutionalism" generally come from the Reform Movement of 1898, but their essence is different, which can be analyzed from the following four aspects: ① The subjective purpose is reactionary. Its purpose is to please the great powers. Curb the revolutionary situation and eliminate the ruling crisis; ② The nature of activities is backward. It is still not beyond the scope of "Chinese style and western use". (3) The objective influence is progressive. These concessions made by the Qing government were in line with the trend of social development and the aspirations of the bourgeoisie, and were conducive to the modernization of China. (4) The actual effect is biased. On the direct influence, it caused people to resist and alienate the Manchu landlords and bourgeois constitutionalists, which not only weakened their own rule, but also promoted the upsurge of the revolutionary situation; From the perspective of fundamental influence, the overseas students sent became the disseminators of anti-Qing democratic revolutionary ideas, and the new army trained became the main force of Wuchang Uprising, rewarding industry and promoting the development of capitalism, which not only laid a certain economic and class foundation for the Revolution of 1911, but also fundamentally disintegrated the feudal economic foundation. Westernization Movement, Reform and Reform, New Deal and Preparatory Constitutionalism were all top-down reforms adopted by the Qing government to consolidate its rule. This is the product of the impact of the world capitalist trend, but the results have all failed, and the fundamental reason lies in the backwardness of nature.
* (Source: China Literature and History Network)