Westernization school advocates "middle school as the body, western learning for use", hoping to maintain feudal rule with advanced technology, and the reform will not touch the feudal system.
The Sino-Japanese War proved that the Westernization Movement did not make China rich and strong. However, it introduced some modern scientific production technologies from western capitalist countries, trained a number of scientific and technical personnel and skilled workers, objectively stimulated the development of capitalism in China and resisted the expansion of foreign economic forces.
Evaluation of Westernization Movement
When the Westernization School set up modern industries, it put "calming China" and "opposing foreign countries" together. The former reflects the domestic class contradiction, while the latter reflects the contradiction between the Qing rulers and foreign invaders. However, after the Second Opium War, when the corrupt rulers of the Qing Dynasty had frequent "internal troubles and foreign invasion", the Westernization School could only rely on the western powers to jointly suppress the people and maintain the crumbling regime. Therefore, the result of the practice of Westernization Movement is bound to deny "foreign enemies". If the Westernization Movement is a reform, it can only be a "reform" in a semi-colonial direction. All the great powers are willing to support westernization, which is proof. Li Hongzhang said that the Huai army had the confidence to win when it met "bandits from the mainland", and it was "unclear whether it would win or lose" when it met foreign enemies. Ding Richang, an official of the Westernization School, said that his naval gun "can prevent bandits in the town, but not foreign invasion". The Westernization Movement has been going on for 30 years, but it has not made China rich. On the contrary, it has made the first generation of warlord groups in China rich under the slogan of "self-improvement" and "seeking wealth".
The Westernization School subjectively didn't want capitalism to appear in China. Even when the civil industry was founded, it was repeatedly said that similar private enterprises were not allowed, which hindered the emergence of capitalism to some extent. However, under the feudal system in China, the Westernization School introduced a new productive force, advanced western science and technology, which was incompatible with the feudal relations of production, objectively and inevitably accelerated the disintegration of the feudal relations of production, thus stimulating the emergence of Chinese national capitalism, which was independent of the subjective will of the Westernization School. In order to solve the problem of funds, the Westernization School set up civilian industries, and adopted the methods of "official supervision and business operation" and "official-business joint operation" to absorb private capital. This "commercial stock" part is the factor of national capitalism. Since the 1970s, a group of bureaucrats, landlords and businessmen have directly invested in modern civilian industries, which has finally enabled China to have a little advanced production capacity, promoted the emergence of national capitalism, and also promoted the emergence of the bourgeoisie and the growth of the proletariat.
In addition, the argument between the Westernization School and the die-hards and their incomplete criticism of the die-hards have shaken the absolute authority of adhering to the tradition of ancestral training and standardizing the famous religion to a certain extent, and opened up a good atmosphere for learning from the West. Westernization School has translated many foreign scientific and technological books, sent overseas students of different ages and qualifications, trained a group of diplomatic and scientific talents, and introduced western social science knowledge, which also played a pioneering role in promoting the spread of democratic ideas. On this basis, in the 1970s and 1980s of 19, a group of early bourgeois reformists in China were separated from the westernization bureaucrats.
Finally, the establishment of Westernization civil industry partially resisted the expansion of foreign economic forces. For example, in 1872, Li Hongzhang founded the Steamship Merchants Bureau, so that "the benefits of Neijiang offshore will not be taken up by foreigners". For more than three years, the loss of foreign ships was13 million, and the American flag company was returned to the well by China merchants because it was unbearable. After the opening-up of the official textile layout in Hubei Province, the import of foreign fabrics in Jianghan Customs decreased by more than 100,000 pieces every year. China's capital can beat foreign businessmen, which was once considered as "original".
The Influence of Westernization Movement on China Society
The focus of the debate is whether the Westernization Movement promoted or delayed the semi-colonization of China society, thus forming two tit-for-tat opinions.
1. accelerated the process of semi-colonization of China. People who hold this view are Qi (then signed "Han Sheng"), Mou Anshi and others.
Qi believed that the Westernization Movement "pushed China society to a semi-colonial road". There are two reasons: first, the army trained by the Westernization Movement and the military industry mastered by it are semi-colonial. First, under the control of foreign invaders, it became a "good place" for the western bourgeoisie to sell surplus military equipment and suck the fat of the people of China; Second, it can only be used to suppress the domestic people's revolution and cannot be used to resist foreign aggression. " Secondly, "the economic enterprises developed by the Westernization School are firstly" government-run ",followed by" government-supervised business "and" joint venture between government and business ". The management power is in the hands of' officials', which is directly related to the feudal regime and serves the feudal rule. These enterprises are closely dependent on foreign capital both economically and technically, which has opened a "convenient door" for the western bourgeoisie to plunder China's economy. This determines their nature, but it is feudal and comprador bureaucratic capitalism. "
Mou Anshi believed that the Westernization Movement accelerated the process of semi-colonization in China. First of all, during the Westernization Movement, commercial ports grew from five to thirty-six. They spread all over China's coastal and frontier areas, and went deep into China to varying degrees. This "actually shows the expansion of the trap of unequal treaties and the deepening of China's semi-colonization". Secondly, Hurd, the General Tax Department of China Customs, strengthened the control of China's financial power during this period, and the Westernization School also relied on foreigners everywhere in its diplomatic activities during this period and implemented the policy of traitorous surrender. " Thirdly, "the import and export trade deficit is getting bigger and bigger under the condition of unequal exchange", which seriously affects the national economy and people's livelihood. In a word, "Westernization Movement" was the formation period of semi-colonial and semi-feudal society in China. The Westernization Movement did not delay the process of semi-colonization of China, but accelerated it. ".
2. Delayed the process of China's semi-colonization. This theory is represented by Kong Lingren, Li and Li.
Kong Lingren believed that the Westernization Movement delayed the semi-colonization of China. Because: China will become a semi-colony, "there are two main reasons, one is that the foreign invaders who entered China are too strong, and the other is that China is too backward". Under the circumstances at that time, "it was inevitable that China would become a semi-colony, and even thought it might become a colony and be carved up. In the face of such bad luck, all classes have their own attitudes. " "The resistance of the Westernization School is not as firm as that of the broad masses of the people, but in the long run, it is an effective and fundamental way to resist foreign aggression to engage in Westernization, develop capitalism, stress the skill of becoming rich and strong, and improve armaments", although its achievements have been greatly weakened due to various reasons. However, through the Westernization Movement, China established a new type of army after all, and a number of modern enterprises appeared. This army has made some efforts in resisting foreign military aggression, and these modern enterprises have also played some positive roles in resisting foreign economic aggression. Therefore, I think that the role of Westernization School in China's semi-colony did not play a promoting role like the Qing government and die-hards, but played a delaying role like the broad masses of the people. ".