A 3000-word essay on China's modern history.
Exploration on the Road of Saving the Nation in Modern China
From the Opium War in 1840 to the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, its mainstream and essence is the history of Chinese people's heroic struggle and hard exploration for saving the country and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. During this long period, China is faced with three alternative national construction plans. Based on the historical theory and knowledge of the Outline of Modern History of China, this paper summarizes and analyzes the exploration of various classes on the way out of the country in this period. By using the method of comparative analysis, starting from the objectivity of history and combining the author's study and experience of the Outline of Modern History of China, this paper studies the historical reasons for the inevitability of China's taking the socialist road, and draws the conclusion that the socialist road was the only way out for China at that time.
Keywords: China history, China modern history, China way out, historical inevitability.
From the outbreak of the Opium War in 1840 to the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, its mainstream and essence is the history of heroic struggle and hard exploration by generations of people with lofty ideals in China and the people of China for saving the country and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In particular, the great and arduous struggle spirit of the people of all ethnic groups in China under the leadership of the Chinese Production Party won democratic independence and people's liberation through the new-democratic revolution. We college students are the future builders of the socialist modernization of the motherland and the main force of all routes. By studying the modern history of China, we can understand the arduous historical process and short-term development law of social development and revolutionary development in modern China. The more we understand the national history and national conditions, the more deeply we realize how history and people have gone through difficulties and twists, and finally chose the Marxist road, the China Party and the socialist road.
The first chapter is the process that China people explored the road of saving the country from the Opium War to the eve of the May 4th Movement.
The Opium War was an epoch-making event in the history of China. China society began to move from a feudal society to a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, and China's modern history began with this. The outbreak of the Opium War triggered the changes of major contradictions and historical tasks in modern China. Before the Opium War, the main contradiction in China society was the contradiction between the peasant class and the landlord class. After the war, the social contradictions in China became complicated, and foreign capital-a pair of contradictions between imperialism and the Chinese nation-increased, which became more and more prominent. Therefore, the people of China not only continue to suffer cruel feudal oppression at home, but also cruel national oppression by foreign imperialist forces. The shadow of national subjugation and extinction hangs over the hearts of the people of China. Striving for democratic independence, people's liberation, and realizing national prosperity and people's prosperity have become the most urgent aspirations of the people and the two major historical tasks of the Chinese nation. In modern times, the struggle of the people of China has revolved around these two historical tasks. After the Opium War, internal troubles and foreign invasion followed one after another, and the feudal society fell into crisis. From the Opium War to the eve of the May 4th Movement, different classes in China made different choices for the country's way out.
1. 1 farmers' exploration of the country's way out
With the increasingly prominent contradiction between imperialism and the Chinese nation, from 185 1, a Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement led by the peasant class swept across half of China. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is an anti-imperialist and anti-feudal peasant movement, the highest peak of peasant war in China for thousands of years, which has dealt a heavy blow to reactionary forces at home and abroad.
However, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement is doomed to failure, but it also has indelible historical achievements and great historical significance. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement dealt a heavy blow to the feudal ruling class and strongly shook the foundation of the Qing government. It completely expressed farmers' desire for land ownership for thousands of years in the "China Land System". As the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's program to continue anti-feudalism and anti-aggression, Senior Minister's essays are highly revolutionary. It is the earliest proposition put forward by advanced people in China to develop capitalism in China, which has a distinct capitalist nature. Therefore, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has new historical characteristics different from the previous peasant wars.
However, the peasant class is not the representative of the new productive forces and relations of production. They cannot overcome the inherent class limitations of small producers. Therefore, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's exploration of the country's way out is essentially just the old road of dynasty replacement in the past, and it cannot be the way out for China in the future. At the same time, the Taiping Rebellion showed that in semi-colonial and semi-feudal China, the peasant class was revolutionary, but not advanced. It is a revolutionary force with great potential and a force that has brought about great changes in history.
1.2 landlord class's exploration of the country's way out
After the two Opium Wars, the ruling class of the Qing government was divided into "Westernization School" and "Die-hards" on how to solve a series of problems of internal and external troubles. The Westernization School advocated making Qiang Bing rich with advanced western production technology, getting rid of its predicament, and maintaining the feudal rule of the Qing Dynasty with capitalist industrial and commercial development means.
19 from 1960s to 1990s, the Westernization Movement rose all over the country? Learn from foreigners? Westernization movement. The Westernization School wanted to maintain and consolidate the rule of the Qing government by learning foreign advanced science and technology, and tried to learn foreign advanced technology to resist imperialist aggression. As a result, the Westernization Movement developed Westernization from the central government to the main places. Explore the road to a rich Qiang Bing by establishing industry, navy and schools.
However, just like the Taiping Rebellion, the Westernization Movement was doomed to failure under the historical background at that time. In the Sino-Japanese War, the total annihilation of Beiyang Navy marked the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War. Self-improvement? 、? Seeking money? The failure of the targeted Westernization Movement stems from the following aspects: First, the Westernization Movement was feudal. The Westernization Movement itself rose to maintain and consolidate the rule of the Qing government, which doomed its failure. Because the new productive forces are incompatible with the feudal relations of production and its superstructure, it is impossible to fully develop under the oppression of feudalism. Second, the Westernization Movement depended on foreign countries. The interests of western powers in China could not make China strong through the Westernization Movement. Third, the management of westernization enterprises is decadent. Even westernization enterprises can't avoid the universality of corrupt bureaucracy of Qing government.
To sum up, it can be seen that the Westernization Movement failed to find a way out for China.
1.3 bourgeois exploration of the country's way out
After the signing of the Xin Chou Treaty, people in China generally believed that the Qing government was corrupt and incompetent and should be overthrown. Some reforms of the Qing government objectively promoted the development of capitalism and prepared some material conditions for the capitalist democratic revolution; With the prosperity of new schools and the development of overseas education, the ranks of revolutionary intellectuals are growing; The theory of natural human rights, freedom and equality continues to spread; Shanghai and Tokyo have become important positions for China revolutionary intellectuals to publicize their democratic revolutionary ideas. With the deepening of the national crisis and the intensification of social contradictions, the Qing government? New Deal? Bankruptcy, the Revolution of 1911 broke out.
The Revolution of 1911 was the inevitable result of the intensification of social contradictions and the tenacious struggle of the people in China since modern times. Since the 1940s, China has gradually become a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. Faced with the brutal aggression of western powers and the decadent rule of the Qing Dynasty, the people of China never gave in and waged an epic struggle. The people of China gradually realized from the anti-Japanese war that to achieve national prosperity and people's prosperity, we must first seek national independence and people's liberation. The Qing Dynasty was the representative of China's feudal reactionary forces, and it also became a tool for imperialism to rule China. Without removing this obstacle, it is impossible to realize human liberation and happiness. The Revolution of 1911 embodies China people's deep desire for national independence and rejuvenation of China.
The Revolution of 1911 overthrew the feudal reactionary government of the Qing Dynasty, ended the autocratic monarchy that ruled China for thousands of years, and established the Republic of China. The Revolution of 1911 greatly promoted the ideological emancipation of the Chinese nation and opened a new horizon for China's advanced elements to explore the road of saving the country and the people.
However, historically, the Revolution of 1911 was a failure. First of all, fundamentally speaking, it is because in the era of imperialism, in semi-colonial and semi-feudal China, the capitalist plan to build a country was not feasible. Imperialism colluded with big landlords, comprador, old bureaucrats and constitutionalists represented by Yuan Shikai to stifle the revolution from outside and inside. Secondly, subjectively, it lies in the weakness and compromise of its leader, China bourgeoisie. Firstly, it did not put forward a thorough anti-imperialist and anti-feudal revolutionary program. Second, we cannot fully mobilize and rely on the people. Third, a powerful revolutionary party cannot be established as a powerful core to unite all revolutionary forces. The failure of the Revolution of 1911 shows that it is impossible for modern China to take the capitalist road.
The second chapter discusses the new changes and historical significance of saving the country from the May 4th Movement to the founding of New China.
The May 4th Movement was the end of the old democratic revolution in China and the beginning of the new democratic revolution, and the China revolution entered a new historical period. The May 4th Movement is an epoch-making event in the revolutionary history of China. From then on, the working class in China stepped onto the political stage, which opened the curtain of China's new-democratic revolution and showed the further awakening of the Chinese nation. From the May 4th Movement to the founding of New China, in the long history of China's exploration of the road to national salvation, three political forces were active, pushing China to the three roads.
1. 1 the plan for the founding of the big bourgeoisie.
In semi-colonial and semi-feudal China society, the landlord class and comprador big bourgeoisie have long been dominant. They advocate continuing the military dictatorship of the landlord class and the comprador big bourgeoisie, so that China can continue to follow the road of semi-colonial and semi-feudal society.
The nation-building plans of the landlord bourgeoisie and the comprador bourgeoisie run counter to the fundamental interests of the people of China. This plan is a plan that harms the country and the people and destroys the country and the people. Finally, they were spurned by the people of China. With the birth of the new China, their reactionary rule was fundamentally overthrown.
1.2 national bourgeoisie as the representative of the founding plan
In old China, the national bourgeoisie never dominated politics. Their basic political proposition is to establish a veritable bourgeois republic, let capitalism develop freely and fully, and become an independent capitalist society in the future.
In fact, the basic national conditions of China at that time objectively decided that it was not feasible to take the national bourgeoisie as the representative in China. At that time, China's industry was extremely backward, with rural natural economy as the main body, and the development of capitalist economy was limited to developed coastal and estuary areas. Subjectively speaking, the national bourgeois revolution is not thorough enough, and it is weak and compromised. Most of the national bourgeoisie belongs to the petty bourgeoisie, which also doomed that the nation-building plan represented by the national bourgeoisie would not work in China. At the same time, it is impossible for the national bourgeoisie to support the nation-building plan.
1.3, the national plan of the working class representatives
Workers, peasants and urban petty bourgeoisie are the basic driving force and main pillars of China's democratic revolution. Their political representative, the Production Party of China, believes that the people of China should first carry out a new bourgeois-democratic revolution, that is, a new democratic revolution, thoroughly oppose imperialism and feudalism, establish a people's republic led by the working class, and gradually reach a socialist republic through this people's republic.
China * * * Production Party is the vanguard of the working class and people of China and the Chinese nation. Since its establishment, it has represented the fundamental interests of the broad masses of people. The people have chosen the production party and the socialist road in China.
Chapter III Taking the Marxist road led by the Communist Party of China (CPC) is the only way out for the Chinese nation.
1. 1 Historical background from the Opium War to the founding of New China.
Since the Opium War broke out, imperialist and feudal forces began to oppress and exploit the people of China cruelly, pushing the people of China onto the historical road of the great revolutionary struggle against imperialism and feudalism. In modern China after the Revolution of 1911, the interests of imperialism and feudalism were mainly manifested as the northern warlords before 1927 and the Kuomintang ruling group after 1927. The Kuomintang ruling clique headed by Chiang Kai-shek relies on the support of imperialism externally, and takes the feudal landlord class and the bureaucratic comprador bourgeoisie as social pillars internally, putting itself on the opposite side of the people of China. After War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Chiang Kai-shek clique ignored China people's strong desire to build an independent, democratic and prosperous new China, and persisted in the policy of dictatorship and civil war, pushing people from all walks of life across the country to hunger and death and forcing them to unite to save themselves. Therefore, the occurrence and development of the people's revolution in China has profound social roots and a solid mass base.
1.2 the inevitability of China taking the Marxist road.
During the nearly 80 years from the Opium War in 1840 to the May 4th Movement in19, these struggles failed because there was no advanced revolutionary party like the Producers' Party of China as the leading core. It was the China * * * Production Party that pointed out the goal for the people of China, found the road to victory in the long-term struggle practice, and regarded it as? A pile of sand? The people of China are United as one and United as an invincible force. It is under the leadership of the * * * Production Party of China that the people of China have finally won a historic great victory after 28 years of arduous and tortuous heroic struggle. ? Without the * * * production party, there would be no new China? This is objectively determined by history and is also the choice of the people.
The leading position of China's * * * production party cannot be created by anyone's will or will alone. For a long time, China was faced with three national construction schemes: the first scheme was first represented by Beiyang warlords and then by the Kuomintang ruling clique. They advocate the dictatorship of the landlord and comprador classes, so that China society will continue to follow the semi-colonial and semi-feudal road. The second scheme is represented by some centrists or middlemen. They advocate the establishment of a bourgeois republic, so that China society can embark on the road of independent development of capitalism. The third scheme, represented by the Producers' Party, advocates the establishment of a people's republic led by the working class and based on the alliance of workers and peasants, and moves towards socialism through new democracy. These three schemes have been repeatedly tested in the practice of China people. As a result, the first plan was abandoned by the people of China and the rule it represented was overthrown. The second plan was not recognized by the people of China, and most of its representatives later admitted that this plan could not be realized in China; Only the third scheme finally won the support of the overwhelming majority of the people in China, including the national bourgeoisie and its political representatives.
Therefore, it is a historic choice made by the people of China to accept the leadership of the * * * production party and embark on the road from new democracy to socialism, which has historical inevitability.
Chapter IV Conclusion
Based on the historical theory and knowledge of China's Outline of Modern History, this paper summarizes and analyzes the exploration of various classes for the way out of the country in this period. By using the method of comparative analysis, starting from the objectivity of history and combining the author's study and experience of China's Outline of Modern History, this paper studies the historical reasons for the inevitability of China's taking the socialist road, and draws the conclusion that the socialist road was the only way out for China at that time. By offering the course "Outline of Modern History of China", I learned a lot about the modern history of the country, which made me feel more deeply the changeable and heavy sense of mission and responsibility in the modern history of China, and also made me love and cherish my present life more.