| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立中央大學 === 歷史研究所碩士在職專班 === 98 === As an old saying goes, “military power brings political power,” dictators often rise and develop in chaotic ages; it is impossible to have politic power if a person has no military power. Since the founding of the Republic of China, Yuan Shih-Kai and the northern warlords had been occupying the northern China, owing to the military power they held. Conversely, since the “second revolution” of the Kuomintang (KMT), the party lost military and political power simultaneously. As a result, Sun Yat-Sen had been pondering how to seize military power while avoiding dictatorship. After consulting patterns of army establishment in other countries, a Russian model of check and balance—military council—was introduced.
The earliest form of the military council was simply a military meeting without regular organization and duty. However, it gradually evolved into the highest military institution after the founding of Canton National Government. Due to serial war battles, inner organization and personnel had been changing; besides the expansion of inner organization, the number of military committee also increased steadily. Meanwhile, having a position in the military council became a sheer honor, whereas only few military generals had the real power, which later slid into the nightmare of dictatorship.
In the Chinese history, national military council had been dismissed twice: the first time dismissal was shortly after the accomplishment of northern expedition; the second time dismissal was announced after the war against Japan. Shortly after the two dismissals, turmoil and upheavals took over China. Sequentially, there were the War of the Central Plain and the Civil War, bringing about serious implications and influences on the military command and military environment of the national government and eventually causing the overturn of the national government.
This study discusses the military council before the first dismissal based on the relevant literature. By investigating different periods of national government situated in the changing military and political environment, the transforming role and function of military council was examined in the study in order to understand the military development of national government in different stages, the issues of conflict between military, and political factions and their rise and fall since the founding of Republic China.
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