中国历史上的农本工商末思想与政府政策的嬗变

2000多年来,在如何处理农业与工商业关系的问题上,人们的主导思想和政府的政策经历了从农本工商末、农末俱利,到重本轻末、禁末,再到三者皆本、并重的二次重大转变.农本工商末、农末俱利的思想与政策产生于战国以前.轻末、禁末的思想春秋末即已萌芽,其政策战国初业已产生,并曾在魏、齐、秦等国付诸实践.三者皆本、并重的思想北宋时即已产生,甲午战争后方最终成为国人和政府政策的主导思想.

Development of Agriculture-oriented Ideology and Corresponding Government Policies in the Chinese History

Agriculture-oriented ideology and corresponding government policies have dominated Chinese history. As for the status of industry and commerce, especially how to deal with the relationship between agriculture, industry and commerce, this country has gone through a development of two momentous changes, i.e. from agriculture-oriented ideology (while realizing the benefits of industry and commerce) to the emphasis on agriculture at the expense of industry and commerce, and then to the emphasis on all of the three. A great number of historic materials have proved that, with the entry into agricultural society, the ideology and government policies had come into being before the Warring-States Period, which regarded agriculture as fundamental, industry and commerce as inconsequential but all of the three beneficial. The ideology that emphasized on agriculture at the expense of industry and commerce began to take shape in the later Spring-and -Autumn Period and came into being in the early Warring-States Period. This ideology was put into effect in the states of Wei, Qi and Qing. The ideology and corresponding policies were related to the measures taken by the central government to keep the balance between the development of agriculture, industry and commerce. In this way, the rulers could maintain the stability of the society and the interests of their own in the agricultural society when confronted with the unlimited development of private industry and commerce. Following the rapid development of industry and commerce in the Song Dynasty, another ideology was formed which regarded agriculture, industry and commerce as all fundamental and equally importance. After the Opium War, the Qing government was forced to adopt an open-door policy. The prosperity of the Western countries and the development of the national industry and commerce had great influence on the Qing Dynasty rulers. In view of these factors, they gradually realized the necessity of modern industry and commerce and changed their attitudes toward them. After the Jiawu War, the ideology which regarded agriculture, industry and commerce as equally significant, played a dominant role and has influenced this country till now.