Comparable to the contention of a hundred schools of thought in the Spring and Autumn Period.
The period of Beiyang government is another period of contention since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Various ideological trends have mushroomed, making ancient China full of vitality. The reasons for this situation are as follows: First, the Revolution of 1911 overthrew the autocratic monarchy system in the Qing Dynasty, which brought great impact to the feudal traditional culture, and at the same time, new culture and new ideas began to be known to the public; Second, the tolerant policy of the American government has given various ideological trends room for survival and development, which is an important reason why the New Culture Movement can flourish. Although the change of the president and prime minister of Beiyang government was like a merry-go-round, Yuan Shikai, Duan, Xu Shichang and even Cao Kun did not interfere and control their ideology and culture too much. If they carry out cultural autocracy like the literary inquisition in Qing dynasty, then future generations will not see Mr. Lu Xun's sharp critical articles. Therefore, the Beiyang government's American cultural policy is commendable. At least those articles in New Youth have not been banned.
The Golden Age of Education in China
The education in China during the Beiyang government period can be said to be one of the best periods in history. Although the warlords of all walks of life are fighting all day, they all attach great importance to education and stick to one pattern in education and employment. At that time, there was a passage in the high school Chinese textbook, which was Cai Yuanpei's speech at the inauguration ceremony of the president of Peking University. As we all know, this speech initiated the reform of Cai Yuanpei and Peking University, which had a great influence on the education in China at that time. However, Cai Yuanpei was a Kuomintang party member and a political enemy of Beiyang government. Beiyang warlords can make their political opponents the presidents of the best universities and have to admire their tolerance and meritocracy. There are countless examples of this. During that time, Chen Duxiu served as the director of the liberal arts department of Peking University, which means that the Beiyang government paid a monthly salary to raise Chen Duxiu to criticize itself. Moreover, the Beiyang government's American investment in education is also huge. Anyone who has watched TV dramas about students and teenagers knows that normal colleges at that time not only did not charge tuition fees, but also provided uniforms and meals for free. Those warlords are fighting in secret, but they are not. Don't use the education fund to buy guns. How valuable. Academic freedom and the emergence of great masters in that period are also a much-told story. At that time, there were some problems of one kind or another, but at least in terms of education, China at that time could be a master.
Adhere to democratic practice
Anhui warlord section has the reputation of "the best in the world". Throughout their lives, the three republics supported the Revolution of 1911, forced the Qing emperor to abdicate, opposed the restoration of Yuan Shikai, and crusaded against the Zhang Xun Braid Army. All these can explain his persistence in democratic republic. In addition, the direct warlord Cao Kun is notorious for bribing the president. Cao Kun, a direct warlord who wanted to be president and control the Beijing government at that time, did not use force to force the Congress to yield or dissolve it directly, but used bribery to win over members. Although bribery is a dirty means, at least Cao Kun did not blatantly undermine the democratic system. However, the March 18th tragedy reflects the twists and turns of democratic practice, but there is hope in the twists and turns. When Duan, as the ruler of the country, knelt before the victims, became a vegetarian all his life and deeply repented, we could see that the light of hope was not swallowed up by darkness. It can be seen that this behavior is also a symbol of hope. Therefore, the democratic practice in the Beiyang era persisted in setbacks and showed great vitality.
In short, the Beiyang era was not completely dark, and it had many merits. Beiyang government is not incompetent, it has done a lot of positive things for the development of China. History should be comprehensive and objective, and there should be no B.