清末广东的盗匪问题与政府清乡——从社会治理看清朝统治的末势

盗匪问题是清末广东突出的社会问题,在当时的文献中,常能见到诸如"粤东之盗,甲于天下"的说法。盗匪威胁民众的生命财产安全,造成社会动荡,不少也卷入革命党人发动的反清起义,危及当权者的统治。为消弭匪乱,稳定社会,清政府当局推行严厉清乡政策,以军事手段打击盗匪,而效果却并不明显。清末广东匪患的严重化以及政府于治理上的疲软处境,为我们进一步理解清末社会及清政府垮台的社会基础提供了更广的视角。

Bandit Problem and the Government's Clear-the-Countryside Policy in Guangdong in the Late Qing Dynasty

Bandits was one of the most troubled social problems in Guangdong in the late Qing Dynasty.In the historical records,the parlance like "the bandits of Eastern Guangdong are the top severe in China" was prevailed.The bandits at that time not only threatened the security of people's lives and possessions,making social turbulence,but also were involved in the anti-government uprisings launched by the revolutionists,threatening the ruling of the government.Therefore,the Qing government carried out strict clearing-the-countryside policies to stop bandits and stabilize the society.However,the government's military measures against bandits were hardly fruitful.The severity of the bandit problem and the inability of the government to take effective measures to put it down provide a special and broad perspective to understand the late Qing society,which was embodied with all the factors that would cause the fall of the Qing government.