SMU SOE Seminar (Nov 15, 2019, 2-3.30pm): Elites and Ideology: How Imperial China was Lost

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TOPIC:

ELITES AND IDEOLOGY: HOW IMPERIAL CHINA WAS LOST

ABSTRACT Despite economic progress, revolutions remain integral to human civilization and social order. In the context of the 1911 Chinese Revolution which ended the 2,000-year-long imperial rule, we find that the traditional elites – especially those who held political power as provincial assemblymen – facilitated revolutionary success to achieve independence from the Qing state; the likelihood of a prefecture achieving independence increases by 88.82% for a 1% increase in the number of traditional elites. But ideology also mattered. Those who were thoroughly exposed to revolutionary ideologies – the liberal elites – paved the way to independence by catalyzing uprisings. A 1% increase in the number of liberal elites in a prefecture will lead to an increase of uprisings by 53.34%. While revolutionary ideas predisposed radicalism on the whole, like the traditional elites, those liberal elites who were highly educated preferred a peaceful transition, suggesting that human capital can moderate the impact of ideology and contribute importantly to social stability. In contrast to received wisdom, the masses did not play as significant a role as the elites did in the 1911 Revolution, even though they were engrossed in the series of conflicts launched against the Qing beforehand. Click here to view the CV.
		PRESENTER James Kung University of Hong Kong
		RESEARCH FIELDS Economic History Political Economy Development Economics China
		DATE: 15 November 2019 (Friday)
		TIME: 2pm - 3.30pm
		VENUE: Meeting Room 5.1, Level 5 School of Economics Singapore Management University 90 Stamford Road Singapore 178903

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