神权中的民主因素：马萨诸塞海湾殖民地政教分析

发布时间：2018-04-19 11:14

本文选题：清教徒 + 神权　；参考：《上海外国语大学》2009年硕士论文

【摘要】： 马萨诸塞海湾殖民地是17世纪英国殖民者在美洲新英格兰地区建立的地位卓显的具有民主倾向的宗教政治共同体。多年来,关于新英格兰殖民地清教统治的性质问题一直是学者们不断争论的焦点之一,各派观点针锋相对,龃龉不合。以乔治·班克罗夫特等为代表的美国浪漫主义史学家从爱国主义角度出发,大力讴歌清教主义对于美国民主自由精神的贡献。在他们看来, 17世纪新英格兰的“清教先祖”正是美国民主自由传统的奠立者。但佩里·米勒等历史学家倾向于认为,新英格兰清教徒的政治精神在本质上是保守的,且有独裁倾向。本文采取折衷的观点,认为以马萨诸塞为代表的新英格兰殖民地在“清教徒时代”的政体上基本是神权的,而其政体内部又具有适宜产生民主的因素和倾向,但由于时代观念的桎梏而未能发展成为现代意义上真正彻底的民主形式,因而上演了一连串神权与民主之间相互斗争的历史戏剧,为美国后世的民主历程奠定了某种历史基础。本文着重分析马萨诸塞海湾殖民地神权统治内部的一些有助于酝酿民主的历史事件和因素,即神职人员在政治上的一度霸权以及因之而来的民主性反抗。另一方面本文还论证了新英格兰民主的主要特色集中在其乡镇自治制度的观点。最后,从历史的纵向面剖析了神权统治和民主运动之间的张力。虽然两者间的角力最终并未以一方压倒另一方为结局,却不失为美国后世民主的雏形。
[Abstract]:The Massachusetts Bay Colony was a democratic religious political community established by British colonists in New England in the 17 th century.For many years, the question of the nature of New England colonial Puritanism has been a subject of constant debate among scholars.American Romantic historians, such as George Bancroft, eulogize the contribution of Puritanism to American democratic and liberal spirit from the perspective of patriotism.In their view, the Puritan ancestors of New England in the 17 th century were the culprits of the American tradition of democracy and freedom.But historians such as Perry Hans Muller tend to argue that the Puritan political spirit in New England is inherently conservative and autocratic.This paper takes a compromise point of view and holds that the New England colonies represented by Massachusetts are basically theocratic in the Puritan-era polity, and there are suitable factors and tendencies within the system of government to produce democracy.However, because of the shackles of the concept of the times, it failed to develop into a truly thorough form of democracy in the modern sense, and thus staged a series of historical dramas of struggle between theocracy and democracy, which laid a certain historical foundation for the democratic course of American later generations.This paper focuses on the historical events and factors within the theocracy of the Massachusetts Bay Colony that are conducive to the brewing of democracy, that is, the political hegemony of the clergy and the democratic revolt as a result.On the other hand, this paper demonstrates that the main characteristic of New England democracy is its township autonomy system.Finally, the tension between theocracy and democratic movement is analyzed from the vertical aspect of history.Although the struggle between the two did not end with one side overriding the other, it was the embryonic form of American democracy.
【学位授予单位】：上海外国语大学
【学位级别】：硕士
【学位授予年份】：2009
【分类号】：K712

【相似文献】