A Historical View of the New Policy and Constitutionalism in the Late Qing Dynasty:An Introspection Focusing on Local Autonomy

Local autonomy was a focus of the new policy and constitutionalism in the Late Qing Dynasty.Although all the classes,from the upper rulers to the common people,reached the ideological consensus that it was an effective approach to saving the nation from danger and struggling for survival,it encountered a lot of realistic dilemma,touched off a variety of negative consequences,leaded to people's opposition and rebellion,and evoked public criticism in the process of its implementation.Originally,the new policy and constitutionalism was carried out by the government as a means for survival;however,it was changed into a factor to hasten its downfall in the end.The new policy was not only unsuccessful in operation,without reaching its expectation,but also aggravated social and class contradiction,becoming the catalyst of revolution.To investigate the reasons for its failure,it is clear that a number of unrealistic factors,such as the old earthbound China,the restriction of The Second Three Gorges of History,the hope for success at one strike have led it away from the social reality and brought it to a total failure.