The late Qing dynasty to the early Republic of China: A period of great institutional transformation

In the period from the late Qing dynasty until the Republic of China, a far-reaching transformation in the social institutions of China took place. The traditional institutions and social values in the late Qing dynasty were unable to bring China out from the Malthusian trap into modern economic growth. Above all, it was the wars with – and defeats from – the imperialist nations that had brought China to this great institutional transformation. This chapter summarizes China’s response to the changing external environment in the Qing dynasty (the Republic of China) which was then under highly rigid and centralized (highly de centralized) institutions. Economic progress was observed in the early period of the Republic although, as the nation was fragmented, it never reached its full potential.