First, 19 1 1 The Revolution of 1911 overthrew the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China for more than 260 years, ended the autocratic monarchy of China for thousands of years, established the bourgeois Republic of China, and promoted historical progress. It is true that democracy and institutions were only a mere formality in China at that time, but this form caused changes in people's concepts, which cannot be ignored. After the Revolution of 1911, people realized that they were the masters of the country. Under this circumstance, various political parties, social organizations, newspapers and magazines have mushroomed, politics is unprecedentedly active, and the national spirit is generally high, which has created conditions for China to move forward.
Second, the Revolution of 1911 created conditions for the development of national capitalism. After the establishment of Nanjing Provisional Government, many laws and measures favorable to the development of capitalism were promulgated, which greatly promoted the development of capitalism in China and quickly set off an upsurge of Li Xing industry in China. During the period from 19 12 to 19 19, more than 470 new factories and mines were built, with an investment of nearly 95 million yuan. 19 1 1 The national coal output was 8130,000 tons, and it increased to14180,000 tons in19/4. During this period, the number of flour mills in China increased from 40 to 120. It promoted the development of industrialization in China.
Third, the Revolution of 1911 brought great ideological liberation to people. It is an important milestone in the awakening of the Chinese nation in modern times to make people move from loyalty to the monarch and patriotism to revolutionary salvation. In this process, the fierce competition between reform and conservatism, revolution and royalism made the democratic thought deeply rooted in people's hearts, and the feudal imperial power thought was impacted and spurned. In the feudal society of China for thousands of years, the feudal emperor was the representative of heaven, and the people were only the slaves and subjects of the emperor. The Revolution of 1911 resolutely overthrew the emperor, lashed and criticized the divine right of monarchy and the concept of imperial power from public opinion, and greatly stimulated the revolutionary spirit and the upsurge of people's democratic movement. This is an important background for the unprecedented acceleration of China's modern history and its rapid progress towards the May 4th Movement, China's * * * Production Party and New China.
So we say that the Revolution of 1911 greatly promoted the historical development of China. It can be said that without the Revolution of 1911, there would be no May 4th Movement and no future historical development. It is well-deserved to call the Revolution of 1911 the first great historical change in China in the 20th century.
We say that the Revolution of 1911 was a failed bourgeois revolution.
First of all, the Revolution of 1911 failed to achieve the expected goal, that is, Sun Yat-sen's Three People's Principles. It has only achieved the first item-nationalism, and other principles of civil rights and people's livelihood have long been in arrears. Moreover, as far as nationalism is concerned, all that has been accomplished is "expelling the Tatars". All the imperialist forces have survived intact. Under the opposition of the northern warlords, the Three People's Principles became an armchair strategist. They sell sheep's head dog meat. Although they have the name of the Republic of China, they have no reality of the Republic of China. Moreover, after the establishment of the Nanjing Provisional Government, due to the increasingly serious financial crisis and the internal pressure of the old constitutionalists, it was forced to hand over the political power, which fundamentally changed the direction of the revolution.
Secondly, the bourgeoisie limited its revolutionary goal to opposing the Qing emperor. They believe that "the abdication of the Qing emperor" means that the autocratic system has been eliminated and the revolution has been completed. Because of this, Yuan Shikai was able to steal political power and destroy the revolution in exchange for the abdication of the Qing emperor. The revolutionaries not only failed to see through Yuan Shikai's counter-revolutionary double tactics, but regarded him as an ally, which shows that the revolutionaries' opposition to feudalism is incomplete. In addition, the League of Bourgeois Political Parties leading this revolution lacks a clear anti-imperialist program and concrete actions. Due to the limitation of bourgeois history, they have illusions about imperialism and believe that the West will sponsor the establishment of a bourgeois country. Sun Yat-sen not only failed to distinguish the so-called "neutrality" of imperialism, but maintained good relations with imperialism at the expense of recognizing the unequal treaties signed by the Qing government and imperialism.
Third, the leaders of the Revolution of 1911 did not mobilize the broad masses of the people, especially the peasants, to participate in the struggle. Although the slogan of "equal land rights" was put forward in the program of the League, they failed to find measures to solve the land problem, thus losing their role in mobilizing farmers and their support. It is precisely because we are divorced from the peasant masses that the revolutionary force is weak. At the same time, the revolutionaries did not establish and master the organized revolutionary armed forces, nor did they establish a correct organizational line. They only rely on the new army and the socialist party to hold an uprising. However, the members of the new army and the socialist party are complex, and most of them accept constitutionalism and old bureaucracy. Therefore, their political beliefs are inconsistent and there are serious differences in their thoughts. So the iceberg has never formed a unified leadership core. Under the instigation of the old forces, this team will often become a force to undermine the revolution, and it is difficult to cope with the counterattack of the reactionary forces, let alone lead the revolution to victory.
The lessons of the Revolution of 1911 tell us that in semi-colonial and semi-feudal China, it is not feasible to take the capitalist road. The task of China's anti-imperialist and anti-feudal bourgeois democratic revolution can no longer be accomplished through the leadership of the bourgeoisie, but only through the leadership of the proletariat.
(Free debate) (Positive): The Revolution of 1911 overthrew the feudal monarchy for more than two thousand years. This is a fact that has been gambled. Can't it explain the success of the revolution?
(Opposition): Overthrowing the old system is only half the battle. Whether it is really successful depends on whether a new system has been established. Let's look at the situation in China after the overthrow of the imperial system: First, Sun Yat-sen handed over the political power to Yuan Shikai. After Yuan Shikai came to power, he still practiced autocratic rule and even proclaimed himself emperor at the end of 19 15. After Yuan's death, China fell into a warlord regime for decades. Do you think the revolution has succeeded?
Even so, the bourgeoisie and the Republic of China replaced the decadent Qing Dynasty. Can you not say that this is social progress?
(The other party): Yes, the form has improved. However, the Republic of China is just an empty shell, and China has not achieved real democracy. China's economy is not necessarily much better than before. Let me make a simple comparison: before the revolution, the country was unified, but after the revolution, especially after 19 16, it was a scuffle between warlords, and the national tax revenue was taken away, but it was fought. What can we do to develop the economy? Before the revolution, the external environment was stable and the economy was in good condition. The national fiscal deficit is about 82 million, but after the revolution, the deficit was as high as 282 million in 19 12, making it easier for foreign countries to manipulate the China regime. Is this called success?
(in favor of): The amount of fiscal deficit does not necessarily indicate the economic situation. After the Revolution of 1911, national capitalism developed further. From 19 12 to 19 19, more than 600 new factories and mines were built nationwide, with a capital increase of10.3 billion yuan, more than half a century. Among them, the textile industry, flour industry and other light industries have developed rapidly, and famous industrialists such as Zhang Jian, Zhou, Rong Desheng and Rong have also appeared. Doesn't this mean that the Revolution of 1911 still promoted social development?
(Opposing Party): However, the main reason for the development of China's national industry after the Revolution of 1911 was that the imperialist countries were busy with World War I during the period of19141919 and relaxed their economic aggression against China. After 19 19, China's economy deteriorated rapidly, which illustrates this point.
(conclusion)
(Zheng Fang): Zheng Fang's speech can make full use of book knowledge and materials, clearly and comprehensively expound his own views, and discuss the successful achievements of the Revolution of 1911 from many aspects. It is well-founded and convincing in the discussion. However, there are also some defects, such as some mistakes in the concept of time: "The Revolution of 1911-ended China's autocratic monarchy for thousands of years." In fact, the feudal system in China really existed for more than two thousand years (476- 19 12 BC), not thousands of years.
(Opposing Party): The opposing party debaters expound their views from the goals, tasks and members of the revolution, making it difficult for opponents to refute. It embodies the debaters' superb debating skills and rich historical knowledge, but unfortunately it does not fully explain the fundamental reason for the failure of the Revolution of 1911-the concrete manifestation of bourgeois weakness and compromise.