The Unity Party () was a short-lived political party in the early of the
Republican period of China from 1912 to 1913.
History
The Unity Party was formed in Shanghai on 2 March 1912, as the merger of
Zhang Binglin's Chinese Republican United Association (中華民國聯合會) and
Zhang Jian Zhang Jian may refer to:
Name
* Zhang Jian (fencer) (born 1962), Chinese fencer
* Zhang Jian (football) (born 1965/66), Chinese football administrator
* Zhang Jian (businessman) (1853–1926), courtesy name Jizhi, Chinese entrepreneur, politician ...
's Preliminary Constitutional Consortia (預備立憲公會), as well as former officials and local gentries.
As a former
Tongmenghui member and leader of the
Guangfuhui, Zhang Binglin set up the Chinese Republican United Association in early 1912 to participate in new Republican politics. Zhang Jian was a major figure of the Constitutional Movement in the late Qing period, he and Zhang Binglin wanted to form a grand coalition to counter the radical
Tongmenghui in the
Nanjing Provisional Government.
The Unity Party was formed with Zhang Binglin, Cheng Dequan, Zhang Jian, and
Xiong Xiling
Xiong Xiling, or Hsiung Hsi-ling (); 1870–1937) was a Chinese philanthropist and politician, who served as premier of the Republic of China from July 1913 to February 1914.
Biography
Born in Fenghuang, Xiangxi prefecture of Hunan, China, Xiong ...
as heads. Other notable founding members included Tang Soqian,
Tang Shaoyi and
Tang Hualong
Tang Hualong (1874 – September 1, 1918) was the education minister from 1914 to 1915 and the interior minister in 1917 in the Republic of China.
Biography
Tang Hualong was born in 1874. A prominent member of the Progressive Party of Chin ...
. The Unity Party also held many ministry offices in the provisional government, such as Zhang Jian as the Minister of Commerce, Cheng Dequan as the Minister of Internal Affairs, and Tang Soqian as the Minister of Communications. In late April 1912, the party moved its headquarters to Beijing with the provisional government.
The Unity Party was one of the targets the
Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai (; 16 September 1859 – 6 June 1916) was a Chinese military and government official who rose to power during the late Qing dynasty and eventually ended the Qing dynasty rule of China in 1912, later becoming the Emperor of China. H ...
's government wanted to ally with. Besides funding the party, Zhang Binglin was invited as Yuan's adviser and Cheng Dequan was appointed as
Governor of Jiangsu The politics of Jiangsu Province in the People's Republic of China is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in mainland China.
The Governor of Jiangsu is the highest-ranking official in the People's Gove ...
when the Provisional Senate was opened. Unity Party's Wu Jinglian was also elected as the Speaker to replace Tongmenghui's
Lin Sen
Lin Sen (; 16 March 1868 – 1 August 1943), courtesy name Tze-chao (子超), sobriquet Chang-jen (長仁), was a Chinese politician who served as Chairman of the National Government of the Republic of China from 1931 until his death.
Early l ...
.
Under the guide of Yuan Shikai and
Liang Qichao, the Unity Party,
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
and
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
merged into the
Progressive Party on 29 May 1913. The Progressive Party became the flagship pro-Yuan party in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
.
See also
*
List of political parties in the Republic of China
This article lists the political parties in the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 7 December 1949.
The organization of political parties in Taiwan is governed by the Political Parties Act, enacted on 6 December 2017. The Political Parties Act de ...
*
1912 Republic of China National Assembly elections
The 1912 Chinese National Assembly elections, held in December 1912 to January 1913, were the first elections for the newly founded National Assembly of the Republic of China, which was a bicameral parliament with a Senate and a House of Represe ...
References
Bibliography
*
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1912 establishments in China
1913 disestablishments in China
Conservative parties in China
Defunct political parties in China
Political parties disestablished in 1913
Political parties established in 1912
Political parties in the Republic of China