The Political Doctrines of Sun Yat-sen: An Exposition of the San Min Chu ILinebarger, Paul Myron Anthony
History
The Political Doctrines of Sun Yat-sen: An Exposition of the San Min Chu I
Linebarger, Paul Myron Anthony
Sun, Yat-sen, 1866-1925. San min zhu yi
In the development of his emphasis upon race kinship on the achievement of
race-nationalism, Sun Yat-sen initiated a program which may not be without
great meaning in the furthering of the nationalist program. He showed that
the Chinese race-nation, having racial affinities with the other Asiatic
nations, was bound to them nationally in policy in two ways: racially,
and—as noted—anti-imperialistically. This theory would permit the Chinese
to be drawn into a Pan-Asiatic movement as well as into an
anti-imperialist struggle. This theory may now be used as a justification
for either alternative in the event of China’s having to choose aides in
Russo-Japanese conflict. China is bound to Russia by the theory of the
class war of the nations, but could declare that Russia had merely devised
a new form for imperialism. China is bound to Japan by the common heritage
of Asiatic blood and civilization, but could declare that Japan had gone
over to the _pa tao_ side of Western imperialism, and prostituted herself
to the status of another Westernized-imperialized aggressive power.
Whatever the interpretations of this doctrine may be, it will afford the
Chinese a basis for their foreign policy based on the _San Min Chu I_.
When Sun Yat-sen spoke, Russia and China had not fought over the Chinese
Eastern Railway and the Chinese Communist problem, nor had Japan and China
entered into the Manchurian conflict. He was therefore in no position to
see that his expressions of approval for Pan-Asianism and for pro-Soviet
foreign policy might conflict. In one breath he praised Japan as the
leader and inspirer of modern Asia, and lauded Russia as the pioneer in a
new, just policy on the part of the Western powers. He saw little hope
that the example of the Soviet Union would be followed by any other
Western power, although he did state that there was “ ... in England and
America a small number of people, who defend these our ideals in harmony
with a general world movement. As far as the other barbarian nations are
concerned, there might be among them people who are inspired by the same
convictions.”(266) The possibility of finding allies in the West did not
appear to be a great one to Sun Yat-sen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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