Chinese to English: 腐败与中国的历史周期律 Corruption and the cyclical law of Chinese history
General field: Social Sciences
Detailed field: Government / Politics | |
Source text - Chinese
每一次王朝衰落有几个共通特点。首先，王朝内部既得利益已经长 大。这些利益都是新王朝建立之后成长起来的，在建设新王朝过程中也起到了重要作用，但已经失去了前期的进取精神。它们不再继续创造财富，而是开始通过掠夺 方式获得财富，并且也掌握着国家的绝大部分财富。更重要的是，它们也开始扼杀一切改革动议，视一切改革者为敌人。一旦改革触动他们的利益，就会群起攻之， 杀之。
第二，在这个阶段，王权本身往往处于弱势状态，大多权力分散在既得利益手中及与其有紧密关系的官僚体系之中。既得利益大多是王室 大员，但他们绝对没有王室的整体利益观念，仅视国家事务为皇帝个人的事情。他们能够对皇帝构成最有效的制约，因为这个群体往往是王权的内在组成部分。官僚 系统也就是（宰相）相权方面，往往也和这个群体有紧密的关系。相权本来就是要为皇帝服务的，但这个时候，相权往往被各个既得利益所分解，成为既得利益的工 具。严格说来，这个时候已经没有了明确的王权，王权被分解在体制内部的各个部门。
第三，国家和社会的关系进入恶性循坏。皇帝要通过改革 既得利益和官僚机构来消解体制外的力量已经变得不可能，往往转而依靠国家暴力机器（往往是军队或者特务组织），通过镇压的方式对付体制外力量。但这种镇压 往往显得无效，造成更大、更多的对立，继续促使体制外力量的成长。在很多时候，皇帝连动员军队的权力也被既得利益和官僚集团所制约。 | Translation - English
Every declining dynasty shares several commonalities. In the first stage, vested interests within the dynasty come of age, having matured into adulthood while the new dynasty was been created. Though they did play important roles in establishing the new dynasty, they no longer possess the spirit of enterprise that was present before. Not creating new wealth, the vested interests begin taking rapacious possession of existing wealth, becoming masters that control a huge share of the wealth in the country. More importantly, they start squelching any dissent pushing for reform and eye all reformers with animosity. Any reform attempt that threatens their interests will be attacked from all directions and vanquished.
In the second stage, the throne is usually in a weakened state, and power is spread among the vested interests and the bureaucracy, to whom the vested interests are closely related. Though members of the royal family, the vested interests never once think in terms of the greater good of the royal family, and treat state matters to be solely under the purview of the throne. They pose as effective check and balance to the throne because they are often insiders close to it. The bureaucracy, or the ministry, which often has close ties with the vested interests, though rightfully its loyalty should lie with the throne, is, generally at this point in time, carved up among the vested interests to serve as their pawns. The monarchic power, strictly speaking, no longer exists, subsumed between the various departments under the system.
In the third stage, the relationship between the state and its people deteriorates and spirals into a vicious circle. The throne’s attempts to successfully reform the system, one perpetuated by the vested interests and the bureaucracy, in order to nullify dissenting forces from outside the system, become an impossibility, thus forcing it to instead rely on the state’s organ of violence (usually comprising of the military or the special security arm) to deal with such dissenting forces by way of repression. However, such methods of repression are mostly impotent and result in even stronger and widespread opposition, encouraging them to continue growing. For the most part, the throne’s power to mobilize the military is curbed by the vested interests and the bureaucracy. |
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