清末民初地方自治下的"绅权"膨胀

清代前期,统治者通过兴大狱、禁止士绅干预、介入地方政治等措施抑制"绅权".清末至北洋政府时期实行地方自治,新旧士绅通过担任(州)县、乡镇和村庄各种自治组织的首领人员而结成公共权力网络,实现了组织化.在此过程中,士绅们除了在各种自治性组织机构中行使职权外,往往还以"绅董"的身份和资格组织起来,筹备自治机构选举,推举地方公益机关首领,参议和处置区内治安事务,议决地方财政措施,甚至行使全县的议政和行政权.于是,"绅权"在地方社会中便成为了国家组织之外的另一极社会权力."绅权"同"官权"、同民众权益均存在着一定的矛盾冲突.地方自治制度的实行之所以导致劣绅的活跃和"绅权"的恶性膨胀,其根本原因在于中国社会结构的传统性和士绅势力的宗法性.

The Expanding of "Gentleman's Power" under the Local Autonomy in the Late Qing Dynasty and the Early Republic of China (1912-1949)

In the early Qing dynasty the ruler took various measures to restrain the "gentleman's power" , but to the late Qing dynasty and the Beiyang government local autonomy was carried out and gentlemen became leaders of county, town and village, so power network of gentlemen was knitted. In this way, "gentleman's power" became another social power, conflicting official power and civil rights. The system of local autonomy led to the gentleman's flourishing and their power was expanding in a wide way. And the reasons for this are China's tradition and patriarchal clan system of gentleman.