翁文灝的經濟思想及實踐—兼論資委會轉向的性質

Abstract

九一八事變以後，國民政府為因應未來可能發生的全面的中日戰爭，需要一個國防準備機構，於是在1932年成立國防設計委員會，並於1935年與兵工署資源司合併改組為資源委員會，對抗戰時期國民政府的經濟建設工作發揮了重要的貢獻。地質學家翁文灝作為民國初年學者從政的代表，被蔣中正先後延攬為國防設計委員會和資源委員會的最主要負責人，從事國防經濟的準備工作，同時也實踐他的經濟思想。

翁文灝的經濟思想，同時受到其國際觀察視野和孫中山民生主義的啟發，應對經濟大蕭條以來和日本侵華的艱困形勢，提出他的經濟建設主張和工業化藍圖。同時，翁文灝也延續五四運動「問題與主義」論爭以來，胡適主張個別解決中國社會問題的思路，將經濟問題視為純技術問題加以處理。翁文灝經濟思想的組成，包括因應經濟大蕭條，仿效各國經驗實行統制經濟，解決中國經濟發展無計劃的問題；針對1920年代以來的「以農立國」和「以工立國」論爭，提出「以農立國，以工建國」的折衷方案；根據長期的地理研究和地質調查成果，安排中國各區域的發展規劃；在抗戰即將勝利時，結合孫中山實業計劃和各國統制經濟發展經驗，提出戰後中國工業化的方案。

正當翁文灝準備實現雄心勃勃的工業化計劃時，他面臨了種種挑戰與障礙。首先是資金和技術的缺乏，當時國民政府缺乏有效管理全國和基層社會的能力，農業和工業也缺乏協調，難以從既有的農業社會基層籌集工業化資金；與外國合作取得資金和技術，又有可能受制於外國而陷入依附困境，是孫中山和翁文灝的工業化計劃始料未及之處。第二是國民政府的內部問題，在蔣中正清黨後，國民政府就存在著官僚資本的問題，孔祥熙家族掌握大量國營資本，並試圖將財政控制權伸向資委會，與資委會主管翁文灝、錢昌照發生衝突。除了孔祥熙之外，翁文灝、錢昌照作為政學系的成員，處處受到CC系的制肘和刁難。這些因素使翁文灝在國共內戰後期國軍節節敗退之際，萌生離開國民政府之意。

於是，翁文灝經濟建設的思路，從點滴式地解決個別問題，轉向整體式世界觀的變革；其對工業化、現代化的理解，從歐美現代化模式的範式，轉向蘇聯社會主義和中共新民主主義革命。在這樣的心路歷程轉變下，翁文灝被中共趁機爭取，投身於資委會轉向以及1949年以後中國大陸的工業化建設，深刻改變了現代中國與世界的動向。

After the Mukden Incident (September 18 Incident), the Nationalist Government, anticipating a potential full-scale war with Japan, established the National Defense Design Committee in 1932 as a national defense preparation agency. In 1935, the committee was merged with the Resources Department of the Ordnance Bureau to form the Resources committee, which played a significant role in the economic development efforts of the Nationalist Government during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Geologist Weng Wenhao, a prominent scholar-turned-politician of the early Republic of China, was recruited by Chiang Kai-shek to lead both the National Defense Design Committee and the Resources committee, contributing to national defense economic preparations and implementing his economic ideas.

Weng Wenhao's economic thought was influenced by his international perspective and Sun Yat-sen's principles of people's livelihood. In response to the challenges posed by the Great Depression and Japan's invasion of China, Weng proposed his vision for economic development and industrialization. He also adopted Hu Shih's approach, stemming from the "problems versus doctrines" debate of the May Fourth Movement, treating economic issues as purely technical matters. Weng's economic thought encompassed several key components: adopting controlled economic measures inspired by international practices to address the lack of economic planning in China; offering a compromise between the debates on "agriculture-based" versus "industry-based" national development by advocating for "agriculture as the foundation and industry as the builder"; developing regional development plans based on long-term geographic and geological research; and, towards the end of the war, formulating a post-war industrialization plan that combined Sun Yat-sen's industrial vision with global experiences in controlled economic development.

However, Weng faced numerous challenges and obstacles in realizing his ambitious industrialization plan. First, there was a lack of funding and technology. The Nationalist Government struggled to effectively manage the country and grassroots society, and the disconnection between agriculture and industry made it difficult to raise industrialization funds from an agrarian society. Collaborating with foreign countries to secure resources risked dependency and subordination—an unforeseen challenge for Sun Yat-sen’s and Weng’s industrialization visions. Second, internal issues within the Nationalist Government posed significant hurdles. After Chiang Kai-shek's purge of political rivals, the government was plagued by bureaucratic capitalism, with the family of Kung Hsiang-hsi controlling large amounts of state-owned capital and attempting to exert fiscal control over the Resources committee. This led to conflicts with Weng Wenhao and Qian Changzhao,the leaders of the Committee. Additionally, as members of the Political Science Clique, Weng and Qian faced constant obstruction and hostility from the CC Clique. These factors led Weng to contemplate leaving the Nationalist Government during the later stages of the Chinese Civil War, as the Nationalist military suffered repeated defeats.

Consequently, Weng’s economic development approach shifted from addressing individual issues incrementally to embracing a transformative, holistic worldview. His understanding of industrialization and modernization evolved from the Western modernization paradigm to the Soviet socialist model and the Chinese Communist Party’s New Democratic Revolution. Amid this ideological shift, the Communist Party seized the opportunity to win Weng over. Responding to Resources Committee Apostasy, Weng joined the industrialization efforts of mainland China after 1949, profoundly influencing the trajectory of modern China and its place in the world.