反貪汙與近代中國國家建造－與Patricia Thornton教授商榷

Patricia Thornton教授的近著挑選了一個重要的課題，即近代中國究竟是如何規範國家機器的成員。她選擇十八世紀上半葉的雍正皇帝、二十世紀上半葉的蔣中正和下半葉的毛澤東三位統治者來加以比較，認為三者都曾發動大規模反責汙運動，以此切入探討，凸顯近代中國視國家為一種道德秩序、強調道德及貪汙論述的特色。她並指出，藉由對道德論述的重新定義，國家機器也進一步擴大其有效統治的範圍。本文認為，這是極具意義也令人激賞的研究作法，然而其「大規模反貴汙運動」之論牽強，且該書美中不足之處頗多，似有瑕已掩瑜之虞。Thornton教授指責雍正虛構財政危機，以反貪汙之名整肅基層官員；批評蔣中正忽略社會動員和地方自治的重要性，任令地方貪官汙吏、土豪劣紳及地痞流氓橫行，注定失敗。她並認定毛澤東為了挽救因大躍進失敗而失墜的道德權威，意圖卸責於農村基層，於是發動大小四清運動，從而體現了國家建造的過程。然而由於Thornton教授未能辨別貪汙概念，及其與不相干之道德、法律或政治規範之區別，加以對諸多基本史實未能有效釐清，引用資料不夠謹慎，論證亦不甚嚴謹，不僅影響到對史料的解讀，也動搖了全書的說服力，殊為可惜。

關鍵字

國家建造；反貪汙；雍正皇帝；蔣中正；毛澤東

並列摘要

In her new book, Patricia Thornton discusses how the state has been disciplined in modem China, basing this comparative study on the Yongtheng emperor, Chiang Kai-shek, and Mao Zedong. She argues that these three rulers each sought to broaden the expression of the state power at the grass-roots level through a redefinition of moral discourse. Though deserving praise for her approach, this work is seriously marred by its mistaken treatment of ambitious anti-corruption campaigns as common feature under the three regimes. She further argues that the Yongzheng emperor fabricated a financial crisis to unleash a thorough purge of county level officials; that Chiang Kai-shek ignored mass mobilization and local self-rule, therefore dooming his government from the beginning; and that Mao Zedong started the four-cleanings campaign to reclaim his lost prestige after the Great Leap Forward. But because Thornton fails precisely to delineate the concept of moral discourse and corruption discourse, her argument appears confusing, and her misreading of source materials further mars the merits of her monograph.