After the Revolution of 1911, Yuan Shikai advocated respecting Confucius and reading classics while carrying out the activities of imperial restoration. As soon as he ascended the presidency, he made great efforts to worship Confucius. 1965438+In June 2003, he personally published "Respect for Kong Ling" and advocated "Broadness of Confucianism". 19 14, the Confucius Sacrifice Order was issued, informing the whole country to hold the Confucius Sacrifice Ceremony. In order to support Yuan Shikai's restoration of monarchy, Chinese and foreign reactionaries set off a countercurrent of respecting Confucius. Since 19 12, they have established "Confucianism", "Confucianism Society" and "Confucianism Society" all over the country, and published "I can't stand it" and "Confucianism Magazine". Kang Youwei also demanded that Confucianism be designated as the "state religion", declaring that "Confucianism is China, and there is no China without Confucianism". Faced with this reactionary countercurrent, some bourgeois and petty-bourgeois intellectuals colluded with feudal forces; Some have died out; Many people feel confused and depressed and can't find a way out. However, radical democrats, represented by Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao and Lu Xun, launched the anti-feudal new culture movement, publicized bourgeois democratic thoughts with great fanfare, and fought fiercely against the feudal thoughts of respecting Confucius' retrospection.
This movement began with the publication of Shanghai Youth magazine in September 19 15. Chen Duxiu is the editor-in-chief, and Li Dazhao is the main contributor, participating in the editing work. Chen Duxiu was a radical democrat. He hated the rule of feudal warlords at that time and demanded real democracy. He criticized the feudal social system and ethical thought, and thought that in order to realize the democratic system, the feudal patriarchal clan system and moral norms must be eliminated. Li Dazhao, on the other hand, opposed the idea of respecting Confucius, demanded freedom of thought, and called on young people not to cling to the dying society, but to strive to create a youthful China. When the first issue of Volume II was published in September, 19 16, the magazine moved to Beijing and changed its name to New Youth. Progressive intellectuals rallied around New Youth, held high the banner of democracy and science, lashed out at the feudal forces of restoring ancient ways from political views, academic thoughts, ethics, literature and art, and concentrated on Confucius' theory, which was the ideological basis for maintaining feudal autocratic rule, and set off a wave of "overthrowing Confucius". They also advocate gender equality and personality liberation. From 19 17, they raised the banner of "literary revolution", advocating vernacular Chinese, opposing classical Chinese, advocating new literature and opposing old literature. With the development of the New Culture Movement, New Youth has actually become the ideological leadership center of the New Culture Movement.
19 16 At the beginning of this year, Yuan Shikai proclaimed himself emperor. Prior to this, Goodnow, an American, published "Harmony with the King" and Yang Du published articles such as "Salvation by the King", spreading the fallacy that China is suitable for the monarchy and will "perish" without a monarch. In view of this situation, New Youth published Chen Duxiu's 19 16, Our Last Awakening, Li Dazhao's People's Changes and Politics, Youth and other major papers, exposing the harm of absolute monarchy. Since the publication of 19 18, Volume 4, Issue 1, New Youth has changed to vernacular, adopted new punctuation marks and published some new poems, which has played an important role in the spread of revolutionary ideas and the development of literary creation. In particular, the great writer, thinker and revolutionary Mr. Lu Xun published the first vernacular novel "Diary of a Madman" in the history of modern China literature in New Youth on May 19 18, which mercilessly lashed the old ethics and pointed out that the word "cannibalism" was hidden behind feudal morality, and the words and laughter of cannibals were full of poison. This novel laid the cornerstone of the New Culture Movement. Under the influence of "New Youth", some progressive publications were changed into vernacular Chinese. This in turn affected the classical Chinese newspapers all over the country, and began to appear vernacular supplements. Later essays, newsletters and editorials also used vernacular Chinese and new punctuation. All these literary reforms have transformed national newspapers.
19 17, the great Russian October socialist revolution broke out, which shocked the whole world and illuminated the road of China revolution. In view of the development of social situation, New Youth published a lot of articles about Russian October Revolution experience and socialist theory. 191810/In June, New Youth published two famous papers written by Comrade Li Dazhao, The Victory of the Common People and the Victory of Bolshevism, which warmly cheered the victory of the Russian socialist revolution. Under the leadership of Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao and others, he advocated science, opposed superstition, democracy, dictatorship, vernacular Chinese and classical Chinese, and publicized western progressive culture. Later, it spread socialist ideas, reflected the requirements of the new revolutionary class, and had a great response in society.
The in-depth development of this movement attracted many young people, especially young students, to gather under the banner of anti-imperialism and feudalism, and made ideological preparations for the thorough political struggle against imperialism and feudalism. The main shortcoming of this movement is that its leaders have not popularized it among the masses, but confined themselves to the circle of intellectuals. Apart from general political slogans, they did not put forward specific methods to realize democratic politics. At the same time, they look at problems in a formalistic way, and cannot treat China's heritage correctly. However, this movement dealt an unprecedented heavy blow to feudalism politically and ideologically, formed a new ideological emancipation trend in the ideological circle, and laid the ideological foundation for the May 4th Movement. When the October Revolution brought Marxism-Leninism to China, the New Culture Movement changed fundamentally, from the bourgeois cultural revolution movement to a movement that widely publicized Marxism-Leninism, and New Youth gradually became a publication that publicized Marxism-Leninism.