In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang, the Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, established the Ming Dynasty, and he took a series of measures to strengthen the centralization of power in order to ensure that the imperial power was not violated by the relative power. However, the excessive centralization of power triggered partisan struggles within the ruling group in the late Ming Dynasty, which lasted for more than half a century.
Donglin Party: The former powerful giants, the decline and destitude of the present Dynasty The Donglin Party was the leading force in the party struggle at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and they waged a fierce struggle with the five party groups and the eunuch party, which eventually led to the fall of the Ming Dynasty.
However, when the Qing troops entered the customs, the Donglin Party was no longer active, but became submissive and subservient. Why is that? First of all, we need to understand the origins of the Donglin Party.
In the thirty-second year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, Gu Xiancheng, the servant of the Ministry of Officials, was demoted and returned to his hometown because he dared to speak out and criticize the government. But he did not become passive and secluded because of this, but still worried about the country and the people, and began to devote himself to lecturing.
This is the origin of the Donglin Party. However, the rise and fall of the Donglin Party was not accidental. Against the backdrop of political turmoil, the Donglin Party rose and became the dominant force, but they also faced serious internal contradictions and external pressures.
Their power struggle eventually led to the fall of the Ming Dynasty, and when the Qing troops entered the customs, they were no longer able to exert influence. So, what led to the decline of the Donglin Party?
We can analyze it from the following aspects: First of all, the rise and development of the Donglin Party was a product of political turmoil, and their power struggle eventually led to the fall of the Ming Dynasty.
Secondly, the contradictions within the Donglin Party are also one of the reasons for their decline. Finally, external pressures, such as the invasion of the Qing army, were also important factors in the decline of the Donglin Party.
In short, the Donglin Party was once an important force in the party struggle in the late Ming Dynasty, but their decline was not accidental. This is the result of a complex set of factors, including political instability, internal contradictions, and external pressures.
In order to expand his social influence, Gu Xiancheng, with the support of Ouyang Dongfeng, the prefect of Changzhou, and Lin Zai, the prefect of Wuxi, restored the Song Dynasty Donglin Academy in Dongcheng, Wuxi.
Donglin Academy was founded by Yang Shi, a famous physicist in the Northern Song Dynasty, and was the main place to spread science and defend the teachings of teachers. After the restoration of Donglin Academy, Gu Xiancheng invited seven well-known scholars such as Gao Panlong and Qian Yiyi to preside over the lectures, where they studied cultivation, criticized current affairs, and ridiculed the government and politics, and soon became famous throughout the country.
With the convergence of scholars from Sanwu, Donglin Academy gradually became the center of the imperial opposition, and Donglin people also had common characteristics. From a political point of view, most of them were successful in the imperial examinations, once served as middle and lower ranks in the imperial court, and were dismissed or demoted because of the struggle with the power of the current dynasty.
The Donglin Party, as a political force in the last years of the Ming Dynasty, has distinctive regional characteristics. The Donglin people from the Jiangnan region, represented by the eight gentlemen from Wuxi, formed a powerful and influential group.
Their lecture activities, one meeting a year and one small meeting a month, intertwined all kinds of complex relationships here, and eventually contributed to the rise of the Donglin Party. Due to the high degree of centralization of feudal power, the prime minister system was abolished during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, and the emperor monopolized the government and government, and the cabinet was arbitrary.
However, during the reign of Wanli, the issue of "establishing a prince" led to the emperor's non-attendance from the court for more than 20 years, which caused a power vacuum in the imperial court. This provided an opportunity for the rise of the Donglin Party.
Neglect of government"As a result, the first institutions were paralyzed, the operation of the state apparatus was blocked, and the country fell into an unprecedented crisis. Against this background, the Donglin Party formed a political alliance and put forward political propositions against the monarch**, advocating the weakening of the monarchy's power, and putting forward democratic demands.
These ideologies are the embodiment of the relatively independent personality consciousness of the Donglin Party members, and they are also a reflection of their attitude of implementing the idea of salvation, paying attention to the fate of the country, and sympathizing with the people's suffering.
The remarks of the Donglin Party were regarded as the best conscience and justice of that era, so they received widespread support and praise from society.
He held an important official position, but his heart was not on the king and his father; Jurisdiction over one side, but the ambition is not for the well-being of the people; is between mountains and rivers, but it is not about the hearts of the world. Gentlemen should not get involved in these.
However, the Donglin Party openly intervened in politics and challenged the interests of the eunuchs and their supporters, becoming a thorn in their side. Secondly, the contradictions and conflicts between the Donglin parties and various factions.
In ancient China, the "party" was not a political party in the modern sense, but a "friend party", such as the disaster of the party in the Western Han Dynasty and the Niu-Li party struggle in the Tang Dynasty. At first, the Donglin people did not recognize the title of "Donglin Party" because it was given to them by political opponents.
They gradually discover that party affiliation is not the exclusive property of gentlemen**, and that villains will also use it to fight against the upright. The ancients said: "Since ancient times, villains have never used the word of friends to disintegrate good people." ”
The Biography of Liu Yuanzhen has made a profound exposition on this. They also realized that the gentleman and the villain coexist, which is the inevitable development of history. Different groups will have different views and interests, so they will choose to form factions, which is the so-called "party".
As the political struggle intensified, the partisan consciousness of the Donglin people became more and more solid, and they accepted and recognized the concept of "party". In fact, the annual congress of Donglin Academy has gathered various political forces in the DPRK and China, forming a group with extensive influence.
As the influence of the Donglin Party continued to expand, the rivalry between friends in the Ming Dynasty became more and more intense.
In the last years of the Ming Dynasty, partisan struggle lasted for half a century. Since the middle of Wanli, the three parties of Zhejiang, Donglin and Eunuch have become the protagonists of each other's struggle for power and profit.
One of the reasons for this struggle was triggered by the "Kyocha". Jingcha is an evaluation system for officials in the Ming Dynasty, the purpose of which is to examine the political achievements of civil servants in Beijing. In order to promote their own personnel and protect the interests of the group, the parties exclude each other and attack each other's **.
In the thirty-ninth year of Wanli, the Donglin Party colluded with Sun Piyang, the secretary of the ministry, to squeeze out the Zhejiang Party and other factions and gain the initiative. However, a few years later, Fang Congzhe, a member of the Zhejiang Party, became the first assistant of the cabinet, and retaliated against the Donglin Party, and the two sides began to attack each other, and the contradictions became increasingly acute.
Three cases"The partisan struggles triggered: the attack case, the red pill case, and the palace transfer case, which seemed to be palace incidents, actually became a tool for the Donglin Party and the five parties to attack each other and improve their own status.
The Donglin Party took advantage of the untrue remarks and pointed the spearhead at the Zhejiang Party in an attempt to attack their opponents. The struggle caused by the "establishment of the prince" in the Southern Ming Dynasty: After Chongzhen hanged himself, the remnants of the Ming Dynasty set up another court in Nanjing, but on the issue of supporting the emperor, the Donglin Party and the eunuch party had contradictions, which led to fierce partisan struggle.
The Donglin Party supported King Lu, while the remnants of the Eunuch Party supported King Fu, and the two factions suppressed each other, resulting in a miasma in the imperial court.
The dispute between the Donglin Party and the Eunuch Party seems to be a duel between justice and power, but in fact there is a complex political power struggle hidden behind it. Although the Donglin Party regarded itself as a gentleman and stood on the moral high ground, their party-forming behavior disrupted the balance of power and threatened the interests of other non-Donglin Party members.
And the emergence of the eunuch clique has intensified this struggle. During the Apocalypse, the power of the Donglin Party grew day by day, and they almost controlled the main power of the government.
However, this concentration of power also brings them a new crisis. Wei Zhongxian, the core figure of the eunuch party, took charge of the government by virtue of the favor of Emperor Xizong.
Although he is not educated, his mind is very active, and he knows that winning over the official is the key to expanding his power. So, he used various means to gather a group of speech officials under his command.
Behind this struggle is actually a power struggle. All forces are looking for their own advantages in strife and strategy, and the final outcome can only be determined by history.
With the attachment of the Qi, Chu, Zhejiang and other factions, Wei Zhongxian's political power became larger and larger, and he began to eliminate dissidents, buy minions, and establish an extensive intelligence network.
This behavior aroused the anger and revulsion of the upright people. Yang Lian, a member of the Donglin Party, once listed Wei Zhongxian's 24 charges in a book, which made Wei Zhongxian hate the Donglin Party members to the core.
It wasn't until Zhang Ne proposed to destroy all the academies, which was exactly what Wei Zhongxian wanted, that he began to attack Donglin Academy. In the fifth year of the Apocalypse, the Donglin Party suffered a catastrophe.
Wei Zhongxian took advantage of the Xiong Tingbi incident to slander the Donglin Party members and arrest the Donglin Party members on a large scale. Many have been wronged and even died in prison. In the sixth year of the Apocalypse, Wei Zhongxian killed a large number of Donglin Party members, Donglin Academy was completely demolished, and the Donglin Party fell into a desperate situation.
In fact, the Donglin Party was able to be expelled and killed by the Eunuch Party in less than four years, mainly because of their attitude of calming things down.
In the face of Wei Zhongxian's arrogance, the blind compromise and concession of the Donglin party was undoubtedly useless. Only by using force as a backing can we effectively counter their arrogance. After Chongzhen Emperor Zhu Youzhen came to power, he vigorously cracked down on the eunuch clique headed by Wei Zhongxian and rehabilitated the unjust case of the Donglin Party, but the power of the Donglin Party also weakened rapidly.
For the reasons why the Donglin Party has gone from prosperity to decline, the following three points need us to think deeply: 1The evil consequence of partisan strife was the chaos of the political situation in the Ming Dynasty and the intensification of contradictions among the ruling class.
In order to compete for political power, they ignore the interests of the state and only care about their own selfish interests. This kind of partisan struggle not only leads to constant internal and external troubles, but also makes many people desperate to accumulate money in order to obtain wealth, which eventually leads to the emptiness of the national treasury and the weakness of the country.
With land annexation and increased tax revenues, the peasants struggled to make ends meet, and revolts erupted. However, when Li Zicheng's army approached the capital, the Donglin Party and other parties were unable to come up with a workable solution.
As a result, the capital was unable to protect itself, and Emperor Chongzhen finally committed suicide in the coal mountain, and the Ming Dynasty was completely destroyed. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, in the forty-fourth year of Wanli, who lost his faith, Nurhachi established the Houjin regime in Hetuala, which became a heart disease of the Ming Dynasty.
During the period of Emperor Chongzhen, Yuan Chonghuan advocated resolute resistance to the Later Jin, but Huang Taiji used the "anti-intrigue scheme" to arrest Yuan Chonghuan. At that time, the Donglin Party did not proceed from the overall situation of the country, but was limited by their own limitations and failed to carry out effective rescue operations, which led to the execution of Yuan Chonghuan.
The fall of the Ming Dynasty was due to the loss of a good general and defensive force for the imperial court. Then, the Qing troops entered the customs, and the small court of the Southern Ming Dynasty collapsed. In this process, the Donglin Party, as a member of the Qingliu Group, has attracted people's attention for their performance.
As early as the founding of the Donglin Party, their British name was well-known. At that time, Wei Zhongxian's eunuchs carried out a cruel ** to the Donglin Party people, and none of the Donglin Party people surrendered, their justice and integrity are admirable, they are true gentlemen who truly believe in Confucian benevolence and righteousness.
However, it is a pity that when the country was facing peril, the Donglin Party became a group of interest groups that were mercenary, greedy for life and afraid of death, and there were many soft bones and renegades.
According to the History of the Southern Ming Dynasty, Yang Zhiyi was the son of Yang Lian, a loyal and patriotic member of the Donglin Party, who was kidnapped and executed by anti-Qing and Ming restoration activists because he betrayed his compatriots.
There is no need to care about everything in the affairs of the state and the world, and it is not as affordable as filling your stomach with a mouth full of benevolence and morality, even if you fight for more political rights, it belongs to the country and has nothing to do with yourself.
Therefore, the Donglin party began to find a way out, and when the Qing soldiers entered the pass, they attached themselves to the Qing Dynasty and whispered, only the Qing Dynasty was the first to look forward. In general, there were many reasons for the decline of the Donglin Party, including social instability and the limitations of the scholars.
Especially after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty "deposed the hundred schools of thought and respected Confucianism", the scholars lost their independent status as the main body of society, so they had to rely on political power if they wanted to save the world and govern the country.
If they choose to go it alone and want the ills of society, they will only fall into a dead end.
Although the courage and fearlessness of the Donglin Party members, the spirit of daring to expose the darkness and resisting political rule have gradually faded away with the wheel of history, their courage and determination are still worthy of admiration and learning from our future generations.
This spirit of courageously pursuing justice and defying power will always be a beacon on our way forward.