晚清重商思想研究

【作者】 线文；

【导师】 陈国庆；

【作者基本信息】 西北大学 ， 历史学， 2008， 博士

【摘要】 重商思想是晚清兴起的重要思潮,它突破“轻商”、“抑商”的传统,以利商、兴商为导向,触发并引申一系列关联问题,适应并推动了晚清经济社会近代化进程。重商思想的兴起和发展既是外力冲击之结果,又是历史“基因”在新的社会背景下之“变异”。事功之学、经世实学是晚清重商思想兴起的传统资源,它一方面融汇了传统,另一方面则开出了近代面向,具有重要的“接引”作用。“通经—致用”、“师夷—致用”,“变法—致用”的路径刻划出晚清重商思想从传统走向近代的进程。晚清重商思想的一个突出特点就是将“商”的发展与国家命运联系起来,这在道光年间经世派的漕运、盐政改革中就已初露端倪。如何将商人有效组织起来以弥补财源匮乏、抵抗列强侵渗是洋务派重商思想关注的焦点。“官督商办”模式正是在此种考虑下应运而生。此一模式本是一个期望能实现官、商优势互补、劣势互祛的体制架构。但在实践中,新式企业在非商即官的两极摇摆,终不能促进其发展。重重矛盾激荡出的思想交锋使得重商思想在相反相成的观念碰撞中得以深化,成为后来法律制度变革的重要根源。与此同时,重商论者开始从更广阔的视角来分析、审视中国的经济问题,这就进一步将传统“四民”中的“商”推到了一个前所未有的战略地位,“商战”观念的兴起使重商思想之发展进入一新阶段。随着对外贸易的深化,“商”所包容的内涵不断拓展,形成了以流通领域的“商”为枢纽,涉及近代国民经济体系诸多部门和领域的“大商”。这说明重商论者开始系统性地看待经济社会的转型,从而将求富、求强的冲动纳入到一种理性化、组织化、制度化的过程之中。西方列强取得在华设厂权后,工业化生产产生了极强的示范效应,人们开始意识到强大的工业才是立国的根本,重商思想由此出现重要转折——有关“实业”的新词汇、新观念开始出现并得到迅速普及。清末民初实业家张謇提出的“棉铁主义”确认了工业在国民经济中的核心地位,开创了中国工业化思想之先河。重商思想在清末的演进有两个路向,一是在“公”领域通过对“利权”之关注表达出对国家“主权”的强烈关切,二是在“私”领域通过对“立法”之诉求表达出对个体合理经济“权利”的积极维护。对“利权”和“权利”的关注成为晚清重商思想超越经济,改造传统国家观、权利义务观,希求深层次变节的重要表现形式。商部的设立、商律的颁布说明晚清重商思想开始从一种观念形态逐步转化、固化为正式的制度安排。这些新变化一方面使商人的社会地位得以提升,另一方面促使重商思想进入一商人自觉的阶段。商人的组织化——商会的设立成为晚清重商思想又一个重要的成果——在一个长期缺乏制衡机制的封建社会里,强政府、弱民间的社会结构出现了错动。晚清重商思想的内涵有其“中国特色”。其财富观非西欧重商主义的货币中心论,亦非法国重农学派的唯农创造财富论,其政策论以西方自由主义和干预主义为参照存有争辩,而农商并重之主张则表明重商思想与传统相互交融。郑观应与德国近代经济学家李斯特的比较表明,晚清重商思想的典型表达更类似于德国历史学派之主张。从“发展经济学”的视角考察,郑观应首次较为系统地回答了落后国家如何实现经济社会转型的问题。与中国颇为类似,日本在近代亦兴起重商思想,但两者之内涵和政策路径有很大不同,它集中地表现在政府不同的经济政策取向和干预手段上,其中亦可反映出两国文化和社会形态之差异。晚清重商思想由于是在救亡和启蒙双重任务和迫力之下而兴起,因此它从寻求工具理性和价值理性两个向度展开,但总体看来,重商思想的救亡意义大于启蒙意义,经济伦理的近代转换并不彻底。封建体制的顽固性使近代中国的制度变革一再延误,清政府没有适时通过积极主动的体制转换来推进和协调社会转型,相反却在官、民之间,官、商之间造成分隙,在传统与现代之间造成断裂。旧结构中那些具有现代性的文化因素难以逐渐转换而延续下来,新结构中西方理性精神亦难以获得充分发展。因此,重商思想推动晚清社会转型的努力也就大打折扣,近代工商业社会的发育和转变,始终在社会性质的制约之中未能跨出划时代的步伐。更多还原

【Abstract】 In Late-Qing period, mercantile thought played an important role in social changes. It broke through the traditional thought of restraining commerce, triggered and brought a series of social changes, and pushed the process of modernization. The rise of mercantile thought was not only the result of impact from outside world but also rooted from the tradition utilitarianism. The both factors paved the way for transformation of tradtional society.The early form of the mercantile thought is the feudal government’s plan of trying to establish cooperation between the businessman and the government. Developing modern enterprises through the model of "government supervising and businessman operating" is the typical pattern. It was proved that the pattern was not succeeding in establishing cooperation between two sides for lacking trust each other. However, the argument of the pattern’s failure improved the law reforming. The rise of "commercial war thought" developed the mercantile thought into a new stage. Along with the growing of international trade, the commercial war became a defence and competition strategy for China’s economy independance. Therefore, the commercial war thought connected and covered a wide range of national economic system. It indicates that the thinkers began to explores economic trasformation sysmatically, and set the goal for "rich and strong" under rational,organizational and institutional consideration. The expansion of the meaning of the commerce paved the way for the rise of industrial thought in Late-Qing period. After western countries obtained the right of opening manufacturing enterprise, developing industry brought a new change. The thinkers realized that the industry was the real foundation of one country’s economy rather than the commerce. Therefore, the mercantile thought made a new leap. Zhang Jian’s "cotton-iron model" created a new industry era.The change of mercantile thought in the joint of 19^th century and 20^th century showed two directions. One is the thinker was deeply concerned at national sovereignty with the loss of national economic interest. The other is the thinker was deeply concerned at individual’s right through legislation demand. Obviously, the thinkers realized the political reform is the pre-condition for economy transformation . The establishment of ministry of commerce and the promulgation of commerce law make the mecantile thought institutionalized, which promoted the social position of businessman greatly. The feudal government’s permission of organizing the chamber of commerce around the country is another progress of mecantile thought. All these changes indicated the greater changes would be coming in Late-Qing period. The content of mercantile in Late-Qing period has its own characters. Although it absorbed foreign economics theory such as commercialism and classical political economy, it was quite different with them. Through the comparison of Zheng Guanying and List’s economic thought, the paper finds that the essence of their thoughts is to develop modern national economy system by effevtive protective and state-led measures. List’s thought is more profound than that of Zheng Guanying in terms of modern economics theory. However, Zheng Guanying’s view is very close to that of List, which had very important historic significance in Late-Qing period. Although the mercantile thoughts was rise in both in China and Japan at the same period in 19^th century, the different cultures and economic policies caused the different developing path.The rise and development of mercantile thought resulted from national salvation and enlightenment movements. However, the thought had more focus on national salvation along with limited idea transformation. The feudal government did not grasp the opportunity to push the social reform. And it caused the break between the traditional and modern society, which made new contradiction between the government and the economic society. Therefore the influence of mercantile thought is rather limited, and the economic modernization did not make remarkble progress.更多还原