Liberalism, Nationalism, and Paths Out of Reforms: Late-Qing China and 19th Century Prussia Compared

Iza Ding, University of Pittsburgh

This paper compares two failed liberal political reforms that took place in late-Qing dynasty China and 19th century Prussia. The defeat of liberalism in these two contexts has often been attributed to the weakness of Chinese and German liberalism. Yet, cultural conservatism does not explain why liberal reforms failed in two dramatically different ways: popular revolution in China, and reactionary victory in Prussia. I argue that how liberalism failed in the two cases can be explained by the different ways in which liberalism and nationalism interacted. When liberalism and nationalism fuse, as they did in late 19th century China, it produces powerful revolutionary thrusts determined to overthrow a regime despite its reform attempts. When liberalism and nationalism fission, as they did in late 19th century Germany, the conservatives in power successfully harnessed nationalism, leading to reactionary politics. My theory, based on historical cases, has implications for the fate of liberalism around the world today.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 246. Uncertainty, Crises, and Critical Junctures in the Political History of China and beyond