Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet
| Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet | |
|---|---|
.svg.png) | |
 | |
| Appointer | Xuantong Emperor |
| Inaugural holder | Prince Qing |
| Formation | 8 May 1911 |
| Final holder | Zhang Xun |
| Abolished |
10 March 1912 July 1917 (restoration) |
| Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 內閣總理大臣 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 内阁总理大臣 | ||||||
| |||||||
The Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet was the office of the head of government created on 8 May 1911 in the late Qing dynasty, as part of the imperial government's unsuccessful attempts at creating a constitutional monarchy in China.
History
In the early 1900s, the Qing government began implementing constitutional reform in China in order to prevent a revolution. The reforms included the Outline of the Imperial Constitution passed in 1908, which ordered that elections for provincial assemblies must be held within a year. In May 1911, the government replaced the Grand Council with a thirteen-member cabinet, led by Prince Qing, who was appointed Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet. However, the cabinet included nine Manchus, seven of whom were members of the imperial clan. This "Princes' Cabinet" was unpopular among the people and was viewed as a reactionary measure, being described at one point as "the old Grand Council under the name of a cabinet, autocracy under the name of constitutionalism."[1]
When the Wuchang Uprising broke out in November 1911, the imperial court summoned the general Yuan Shikai to command the Beiyang Army and put down the revolution. He was named Prime Minister on 2 November 1911, shortly after Prince Qing stepped down. He remained in that office until March 1912, when he negotiated with Empress Dowager Longyu the abdication of the Xuantong Emperor.[1]
The post was briefly revived in July 1917 during Zhang Xun's attempt to restore the Qing monarchy, but he only held it for several days before Beijing was retaken by Republican forces.
List of prime ministers
Non-Partisan Beiyang clique
- period: 8 May 1911 – 10 March 1912
| № | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of Office | Days | Political party | Emperor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Yikuang (Prince Qing) 慶親王 (1838–1917) |
8 May 1911 | 1 November 1911 | 177 | Non-partisan (Qing dynasty) (The Imperial Family) |
Xuantong (Puyi) |
| 2 |  |
Yuan Shikai 袁世凱 Yuán Shìkǎi (1859–1916) |
2 November 1911 | 10 March 1912 | 129 | Beiyang clique | Xuantong (Puyi) |
| 3 | |
Zhang Xun 張勳 Zhāng Xūn (1854–1923) |
1 July 1917 | 12 July 1917 | 11 | Non-partisan (warlord) (restoration attempt) |
Puyi |
See also
References
Further reading
- Esherick, Joseph (2013). China: How the Empire Fell. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0415831016.