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introduction
In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, faced with a devastated city and industrial base, many people thought that there was no economic construction at all during the Republic of China, but is this really the case?
As a transitional period between the old era and the new China, the Republic of China laid a solid foundation for the economic construction of the new China. And from 1912 to 1919, it created the "golden decade" of national capitalism.
So what are the specific manifestations of economic construction during the Republic of China? How are the economies of each region developing?
(Republic of China Period)
1. Urbanization development: taking Qingdao as an example
The development of Qingdao during the Republic of China period relied to a certain extent on the construction of the German colonial period.
After the German occupation of Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao became a trading colony and built a port here to carry out international trade.
In 1929, the Nanjing Nationalist Government took over Qingdao and rebuilt the port of Qingdao, at which time maritime trade between the port of Qingdao increased dramatically.
(Old photo of Jiaozhou Bay)
By 1934, Qingdao had become the third largest port in China for trade after Tianjin and Beijing.
The economic base determines the superstructure, and the superstructure will also react on economic construction.
At the beginning of the establishment of the Nanjing National Government, many students who returned from studying abroad entered the government.
They put forward the "Qingdao City Implementation Plan (First Draft)" to promote the development of economic construction in various cities, using Qingdao as a pilot project.
In addition to basic overseas trade, the Nationalist Government is also actively promoting the industrial development of Qingdao.
(Old photos of Qingdao)
After the establishment of the Nanjing Nationalist Government, it fully developed the national basic industry on the basis of the industrial infrastructure left by Japan in Qingdao.
By the end of the 40s of the 20th century, the impoverished west coast of Jiaozhou Bay had begun to catch up with the earlier developed east coast.
Qingdao is also based on Jiaozhou Bay and has gradually entered the development of urbanization.
In order to prosper the construction of Haixi, the Jiaozhou Bay Ring Road starts from Chengyang in the north, reaches Xuejiadao in the south, passes through Tafutou, Hongshi Cliff and other places of the railway, water transportation and other routes are being planned, surveyed and built.
This has also laid a strong foundation for Qingdao's urbanization development after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
(Qingdao in 1942)
2. Rural construction
During the Republic of China, due to the government's neglect of the rural economy, the rural economy collapsed, and the problem of peasant poverty could not be solved.
Coupled with the industrial, commercial and agricultural influences of imperialism, the dumping of countless commodities led to a devastating blow to the original consumer market in the countryside.
At that time, the living standards of the peasants were extremely low, and in addition to the lack of material resources, the income could not cover the expenditure, and there would also be a high mortality rate caused by malnutrition.
It is recorded that in a good year, after excluding production, living and financial expenditures, the peasants basically do not have any surplus property.
(Poor people at the bottom)
In famine years, parents will kill their children in order to reduce food consumption and economic expenditure.
In northern Sichuan, there is also a trend of killing people and selling meat. The dead body is 500 wen per catty, and the live meat is sold for 200 wen per hanging, or a few hangings.
In the rural areas of North China, a large number of people have poured out, and the phenomenon of breaking through the east and going to the west abounds.
In Jiangsu and Zhejiang, where the economy is relatively good, most peasants also rely on borrowing money to get by.
(Annual Income of Rural Farmers (Excerpt))
In the twenties and thirties of the 20 th century, it became the consensus of the people of the whole country that the rural economy was in collapse.
In order to revive the rural economy, economists and the government launched a series of campaigns to find a way to revive the countryside.
Politically, the abolition of excesses and miscellaneous taxes has lightened the peasants' burdens, so that the peasants' supplementary taxes do not exceed the regular taxes, and the peasants have a surplus.
Economically, it is necessary to fundamentally consolidate arable land, prepare for the establishment of an agricultural production system, and raise the prices of agricultural products and protect tariffs so that the value of agricultural products will increase.
For example, in the northwest region, a resettlement policy has been implemented to move refugees and displaced people to the Huanglong Mountains and actively reclaim land.
(Rural in the twenties and thirties)
In order to transport agricultural products from the countryside, the government will organize and repair railways, shipping routes and roads, and expand transportation routes to reduce transportation costs.
Through the joint efforts of politics, economy, agriculture and education, it was based on the economic reality of the countryside at that time. Save the rural economy from collapse.
By 1949, the movement of rural population was stable, and some peasants basically retained their own means of production. The rural economy has made great progress.
(Rural in the twenties and thirties)
3. Industrial development
During the reign of the Beiyang government, the government promulgated the "Provisional Crafts Reward Regulations", "Company Regulations", "General Regulations for Merchants" and other articles to promote China's economic development.
According to the data, warlords, politicians and businessmen have invested heavily in industrial and mining enterprises in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
The textile industry, flour, matches, glass, electricity, cement, ceramics, food and other industries in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region have developed rapidly.
(Industrial distribution table of industrial and mining enterprises established in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region over the years (excerpt))
Many enterprises were invested by military and political officials, concentrated in the eastern regions of Beijing, Tianjin and Henan, so the region was closely connected and the economy developed rapidly.
During the period of the Republic of China, the Nanjing Nationalist Government revised the "Industrial Incentive Law", "Factory Law", "Company Law", etc., and the enthusiasm of the national bourgeoisie to set up enterprises was greatly promoted.
For example, in Xi'an, the earliest modern textile enterprise, Dahua Yarn Factory, was opened. And the Shaanxi region will become an important cotton textile industrial base in the country.
With the outbreak of World War I, this also ushered in a short spring for the development of national industry.
(After the start of World War I, the industrial development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region reached a climax)
The Nationalist Government reclaimed and nationalized the factories of some of the great powers in China, and a large number of advanced machines were put into use, and the industry developed rapidly.
At that time, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region developed rapidly and became a relatively developed economic region in the country.
With the transportation of industrial resources, railways, shipping routes and highways in the industrial zone have also developed rapidly.
According to the data, from 1911 to 1949, a total of 17,100 kilometers of railways were built during the Republic of China government. More than 110,000 roads have been built.
(Railroad Construction)
Fourth, the reasons for the economic downturn
During the period of the Republic of China, it was clear that the country had vigorously developed economic construction, but in the end, why was it poor and white?
The first is the resurgence of imperialism. After the end of World War I, the West had the strength to continue its aggression against China. Due to a series of unequal treaties signed by the late Qing government, it was difficult for China's economy to develop steadily.
(Modern Chinese Unequal Treaties)
Western goods have a complete advantage over Chinese goods, which leads to the devastating blow of China's national capital enterprises by the West, and many national capital eventually go bankrupt.
The second is the destruction of economic construction by war. During the Anti-Japanese War, China, as the largest battlefield in Asia, was invaded by the Japanese invaders and attacked by arms.
After the end of the Anti-Japanese War, the civil war began again, and under the chaos of war, the pace of economic construction basically stopped.
The third is that the Nationalist Government implements a monopoly policy on the country's industry. After the expulsion of the Japanese invaders, the Nationalist Government took over Japanese industries and enterprises in China, which, although they were said to be run by the state, were in fact the private property of the four major families.
(The four major families of Jiang, Song, Kong, and Chen of the Republic of China)
epilogue
Under the oppression of imperialism and feudalism, China's semi-colonial and semi-feudal nature of old China made it difficult for China's economic construction to survive in the cracks.
Even though the government of the Republic of China has the intention of building a high economy, it is unable to make great achievements in that context.
Only by breaking free from the shackles of imperialism and feudalism on China can China's economy have the possibility of development, and the vigorous economic development after the founding of New China has verified this point.
Resources:
LIU He. Discussion on rural economic thought in Rural Economy (1933-1937) magazine[D].Jilin University,2021.
YUAN Chunxiao. Urban planning and construction in Qingdao during the Republic of China(1929-1937)[D].Qingdao University of Technology,2016.