【作者】 谢廷东；

【导师】 黄贤全；

【作者基本信息】 西南大学 ， 世界史， 2021， 硕士

【摘要】 镀金时代是指美国历史上自19世纪60年代南北内战后到19世纪90年代之间的时期。在镀金时代美国的资本主义经济快速发展,并且最终实现了在1894年工业总产值超越英国的目标,成为了全球最大的工业国家。铁路业,作为19世纪的新兴交通业,承担着沟通全美各地,进一步发展其他工商产业的重要职能,由此,铁路业也在镀金时代得到了前所未有的跨越式发展,在一定程度上可以被称作美国19世纪中后期的支柱性产业。但伴随着快速增长的财富与资本主义发展机会而来的却是政治经济上的腐败行为,铁路业因为其重要地位而首当其冲。美国的19世纪铁路业发展因为其地理环境、时代背景等特殊因素影响,在建设与发展过程中体现出了许多独有的特点。在铁路业本身上,铁路公司的活动与经营因为特许权公司的本质和联邦政府权力在内战后的扩大这两个因素,故而形成了联邦政府对铁路业的深度参与这一特点。在铁路具体建设过程中,美国中西部地区的恶劣环境则决定了大多数以太平洋铁路为代表的长距离铁路线路很难依靠正规建设经营盈利。这两个特点决定了美国铁路业的发展方向,为腐败行为的滋生提供了土壤。美国铁路业的腐败表现可以根据其不同的表现方式分为三种腐败:体制型腐败、收买型腐败与资产型腐败。在绝大多数腐败案中,三种腐败方式交错进行,但是基本上都会呈现出其中一种特别突出的腐败方式。体制型腐败为自上而下的腐败方式,联邦政府和国会官员通过特许权公司和管理层人员的联系控制着大型铁路公司,为其大开方便之门;收买型腐败则主要表现为铁路公司为了争取资金和土地补贴而收买国会议员,借此通过一系列有利于铁路公司的国有资产法案;资产型腐败往往发生在铁路公司已经获得大量补贴之后,利用获得的资产参与土地投机,哄抬地价,以此牟利。三种腐败方式的结合使美国镀金时代的铁路业成为了当时“腐败”的代名词,铁路公司和铁路资本家的声望也一落千丈。铁路业的腐败原因非常复杂,和美国当时的时代背景、制度背景以及铁路业本身的建设特点关系密切。从铁路行业本身来讲,19世纪中后期的铁路公司与铁路线路数量随着建设狂潮的到来形成井喷之势,在巨大的竞争压力之下,自由放任的资本主义经营模式导致铁路业形成了无序竞争的局面,行贿官员讨好政府成为了混乱局面下铁路公司想要取得发展优先权的捷径。从联邦政府角度来讲,政府自身对于腐败犯罪的惩罚力度极低,并且也没有可靠的反腐败联邦法律可以参考,以分赃制为代表的文官制度更使得政府官员容易成为利益集团的“俘虏”,进而削弱政府的反腐败职能。从国会的角度来讲,由于特殊的国情和两院制度,美国国会和州议会的立法效率较低,当涉及到富裕阶层切身利益的铁路业规范化法律和反腐败法律的立法呼吁时,利益集团的纠纷就更加重了从立法角度控制腐败行为的难度。从社会思想的角度来看,镀金时代的美国社会受到清教徒思想与社会达尔文主义的影响,拜金主义盛行,社会价值观堕落,为腐败氛围打开了窗口。随着1872年“动产信托公司丑闻”的曝光,作为镀金时代的支柱性产业,铁路业的腐败行为引起了民众与普通投资者的恐慌,并引发了一系列影响。在经济上,美国爆发了1873年恐慌,作为历史上最重要的几次经济危机之一,1873年恐慌第一次呈现出了国际化特点,其影响甚至波及远东,但是在其发生的时间点,资本主义仍然处于上升期,其影响更多的是推动了资本主义的内部纠错。在政府层面,美国联邦政府和国会都针对容易引发腐败的文官制度进行了改革,还通过了一系列铁路业规范化规章制度。对于铁路业本身而言,市场无序的恶果和个人投资光环的破裂迫使一部分铁路资本家开始大量收购关联企业,建立垄断资本,加速了铁路业的垄断进程。对社会而言,腐败行为的大量曝光使有识之士开始反思,并推动了“揭发黑幕运动”和进步运动的进程。更多还原

【Abstract】 The gilded age refers to the period in American history from the civil war in the1860 s to the 1890 s.In the gilded age,the capitalist economy of the United States developed rapidly,and finally achieved the goal of surpassing Britain’s Gross value of industrial output in 1894,becoming the largest industrial country in the world.As a new transportation industry in the 19 th century,the railway industry undertakes the important function of communicating with all parts of the United States and further developing other industrial and commerce.Therefore,the railway industry also has a great-leap forward development in the gilded age,which can be called the pillar industry in the middle and late 19 th century of the United States to a certain extent.However,with the rapid growth of wealth and opportunities for capitalist development,there are political and economic corruption,and the railway industry bears the brunt because of its important position.The development of American Railway Industry in the 19 th century reflects many unique characteristics in the process of construction and development because of its special factors such as geographical environment and era background.In the railway industry itself,the activities and operation of the railway companies are characterized by the deep participation of the federal government in the railway industry because of the nature of the franchise companies and the expansion of the federal government’s power after the civil war.In the process of railway construction,the harsh environment in the Midwest of the United States determines that most of the long-distance railway lines represented by the Pacific Railroad are difficult to rely on formal construction and operation for profit.These two characteristics determine the development direction of American Railway Industry and lay the foundation for the occurrence of corruption.The corruption of American railway industry can be divided into three types:Systematic corruption,Venal corruption and Asset corruption.In the vast majority of corruption cases,three kinds of corruption are carried out alternately,but basically one of them is particularly prominent.Systematic corruption is a top-down form of corruption,in which federal government and congressional officials control large-scale railway companies through the connection between franchise companies and management personnel,thus opening a convenient backdoor for them;Venal corruption is mainly manifested in the fact that railway companies bribe congressmen in order to obtain funds and land subsidies,so as to pass a series of state-owned assets bills in favor of railway companies;Asset corruption often occurs after the railway companies have received a lot of subsidies,and they use the acquired assets to participate in land speculation,bid up land prices,so as to make profits.The combination of the three forms of corruption made the railway industry in the Gilded Age of the United States synonymous with "corruption" at that time,and the reputation of railway companies and railway capitalists plummeted.The causes of corruption in the railway industry are very complex,which are closely related to the background of the times,the background of the system and the construction characteristics of the railway industry itself.From the perspective of the railway industry itself,the number of railway companies and railway lines in the middle and late 19 th century formed a blowout trend with the arrival of the construction frenzy.Under the huge pressure of competition,the laissez faire capitalist business model led to the formation of disorderly competition in the railway industry.Bribing officials to curry favor with the government became a shortcut for railway companies to obtain the development priority in the chaotic situation.From the perspective of the federal government,the government’s own punishment for corruption is very low,and there is no reliable anti-corruption federal law to refer to.The civil service system represented by the booty sharing system makes government officials easy to become the "Prisoners" of interest groups,thus weakening the government’s anti-corruption function.From the perspective of Congress,due to the special national conditions and the bicameral system,the legislative efficiency of the US Congress and the state legislatures is low.When the railway industry standardization law and the anti-corruption law are called for,which are related to the vital interests of the wealth class,the disputes of interest groups are more serious,and it is more difficult to control corruption from the perspective of legislation.From the perspective of social thought,American society in the gilded age was influenced by Puritanism and social Darwinism.The prevalence of money worship and the degeneration of social values opened a window for the atmosphere of corruption.With the exposure of the "Crédit Mobilier Scandal" in 1872,as a pillar industry in the Gilded Age,the corruption of the railway industry caused the panic of the public and ordinary investors,and caused a series of effects.Economically,the Panic of 1873 broke out in the United States.As one of the most important economic crises in history,the Panic of 1873 showed the characteristics of internationalization for the first time,and its influence even spread to the Far East.However,at the time of its occurrence,capitalism was still on the rise,and its influence was more to promote the internal correction of capitalism.At the government level,both the federal government and Congress of the United States have reformed the civil service system which is prone to corruption,and adopted a series of standardized rules and regulations for the railway industry.For the railway industry itself,the market disorder and the collapse of personal investment reputation forced some railway capitalists to purchase a large number of affiliated enterprises and establish monopoly capital,which accelerated the monopoly process of the railway industry.For the society,a large number of exposure of corruption made people of insight begin to reflect,and promoted the "exposing the black curtain movement" and the progressive movement.更多还原