Yuan Shikai
Author Lantai
Yuan Shikai's claim to the emperor is actually not without a basis for public opinion.
Why is it said that public opinion supports Yuan Shikai's claim to emperor to a certain extent?
This is because at that time, China did not actually have a tradition of "parliamentary politics", and since the provisional Senate, it has exposed immaturity in many major events, and Tang Shaoyi, the prime minister of the first responsible cabinet, not only resisted Yuan Shikai's reasonable orders as the grand president in many matters, but even considered more of the interests of the Alliance in many matters.
Before Tang Shaoyi resigned, Yuan Shikai told his son Yuan Keding that Tang Shaoyi's "style evaluation has been broken," which meant that Tang Shaoyi overconsidered the interests of the Alliance in employing people, which not only caused dissatisfaction from Yuan Shikai, but also caused dissatisfaction among many Beiyang politicians and soldiers.
It is precisely because "parliamentary politics" is seriously dissatisfied in the Republic of China that many people of insight have begun to reflect on whether "parliamentary politics" is suitable for China.
According to Professor Ma Yong, judging from the actual situation in China at that time, the pluralistic structure model of the highest power certainly helped to prevent individual dictatorship, but at a time when China urgently needed to restore order and stability, this diversified power structure actually canceled out most of the government's authority, and was not conducive to China's political development and economic prosperity. In the extreme case, it is likely to lead to the division and demise of China.
In fact, as early as the end of 1912, the Yunnan Overseer Cai Yi said that for the sake of the country's long-term plan, the executive power of the president should be strengthened, and General Cai Yi even proposed that the president should have the power to dissolve the parliament and appoint government officials without the consent of the parliament.
Another famous scholar of the Republic of China, Zhang Taiyan, walked farther than Cai Yi.
He believes that "the borrowing is indecisive, the east is going west, the branch is already under discussion, and the round trip to April is bound to be divided." Under the pretext of the inability of the Chinese government; the inability of the government, beside the Senate building road, the cone knife is discussed, the text is broken, and one person must ask for consent, and a dispute must arise in the proposal of a case. It is always the party that sees others, and finally attacks others to benefit itself. ...... The name is called the House of Representatives, but it is actually a traitorous house. When the time comes, his people are in charge. When it is time, the parliamentarians have scattered and can still take responsibility for the people. To commemorate the death of the former Qing Dynasty, it is not only by establishing a constitution, but also by looking down on the calamities that followed. Also in the Republic. The wise men from the north and the south, who are saying that the "Covenant Law" has yet to be revised, is still to be done in the coming year, and the urgency is burning, so how can we sit down. The great president is in charge of administrative affairs, and the responsibility is at stake, and this survival is critical, the preservation of the national land is important, the development of civil rights is light, the country does not exist, and the parliamentarians are entrusted. It is advisable to ask the President to act cheaply and not to allow himself to be bound by the Covenant Law, pending death. ”
Zhang Taiyan's public call for the "uselessness of parliament" and the "theory of the centralization of power by the great president" was not his personal pretense and astonishment, but the view of many elites at that time.
Statue of General Cai Yi
Another point is that in the four years from 1911 to 1915, although the Qing Dynasty was overthrown and the Republic of China was established, the shock brought about by the "independence of the provinces" during the Xinhai Revolution did not subside, but became more and more shaken, even if it was a person of the Beiyang department, as long as they went out of Beijing as an overseer, they were also in violation of the central government and Yuan Shikaiyang, just like the overseers of the local factions.
After the "Twenty-one Articles" incident in Japan, the whole country demanded that the central government cheer up and demand that they try their guts at a low salary, in other words, demand "salvation." But at that time, in order to restore order and stability, there must also be a strong center, a center that can make the local subservient.
It seems that Yuan Shikai's title of emperor seems to be the result of everyone's expectations.
On October 2, 1915, Yuan Shikai and Zhu Erdian, British Minister to China, held a secret discussion on the implementation of a constitutional monarchy in China. Although in this secret conversation, Zhu Erdian expressed concern about whether Yuan Shikai's claim to be an emperor in China would be turbulent, Zhu Erdian did not strictly speaking prevent Yuan Shikai from becoming emperor, and even encouraged him to a certain extent.
Yuan Shikai called the emperor wax figure
Because Zhu Erdian not only said in the secret conversation that "Britain is extremely welcome to this matter" but also revealed to Yuan Shikai that the American envoy Jia Leheng had also advocated a constitutional monarchy, and "did not hear of Japan's slightest intention of opposing it and taking advantage of the time to profit or harm China".
It is not known what Zhu Erdian's considerations were, but it is clear that Zhu Erdian did not tell Yuan Shikai the true attitude of the Japanese, because just 13 days later, that is, on October 15, Japan had officially sent a note to the British, demanding that "in order to postpone the change of the state system, a joint advice should be made to the Chinese government." ”
However, at this time, Yuan Shikai and the people around him were already preparing for the ceremony of becoming emperor, and at this time, the great powers were again advised, and Yuan Shikai also had to send arrows on the string.
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