Liang Shih-i made his best endeavors to support Yuan Shi-k' ai's governing power, insisting on republicanism wiht consistency from the Wu Chang Uprising to the Dethronement of Emperor Ch'ing, and devoted himself to the consolidation of the Yuan Shih K...
Liang Shih-i made his best endeavors to support Yuan Shi-k' ai's governing power, insisting on republicanism wiht consistency from the Wu Chang Uprising to the Dethronement of Emperor Ch'ing, and devoted himself to the consolidation of the Yuan Shih K' ai regime and intensification of Yuan Shih K' ai's personal influence after the latter's coming to power until the Monarchical Movement began to evolve at full-scale. When the Monarchical Movement evolved to full-scale, he could not carry his point to finallity and, instead. took the initiative in the Monarchical Movement at length, even though he had resisted in tole early stages.
In this course, Liang Shih-i's character has shown many contradictions. He demolished a democratic system and organization, insisting on republicanism, liquidated party politics, recognizing the function of the party propounded his version of the will of the people. and took the initiative in the Monarchical Movement, under the cloak of the will of people, claiming to represent the will of people.
In this context, Liang can be evaluated as a mere. success-oriented person and power-chaser during power shifts, who lusted after his own power, flattering the supreme power of the time and attempting the preservation and expansion of his own clique.
But his inevitable results were caused by limitations in which his ideas were relatively conservative and his understanding of republicanism deficient, because he was an ex-bureaucrat educated under the traditional system, even though he possessed highly-civilized thinking for that time. But, first of all. we should consider that it was impossible for him to object openly to. and separate resolutely from, Yuan, even when Yuan's actions were wrong and disagreeable according to the ideas of that tome, because he enjoyed great benefits from Yuan, Liang's achievements and accomplishments in transportation, finance and diplomacy should be objectively and fairly enaluated.