立憲民政党と金解禁政策
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概要
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This article analyses the relationship between the Minsei party's policy advocating a return to the gold standard and the activities of the party's rank and file, focusing in particular on a political leadership faced with balancing two different demands imposed on it: 1) achieving its policy objective and 2) generating the political strength to keep it in power. By adopting this perspective, the author aims to coherently explain the political situation of the time, by dividing the policy-making process into the four phases of policy formation, development, modification, and ultimate abandonment, centering his attention on the "modification" stage and the role of political leadership in it. There were Minsei party members who were sympathetic to requests from their provincial branches to advocate budgetary measures for expanding public utility projects. However, the Hamaguchi Osachi cabinet's objective was to implement a strict policy of retrenchment centered around cutting or postponing public works projects, resulting in tension arising between the government and its own party's machine. It was Minister of Home Affairs Adachi Kenzo who tried to reconcile the two sides, by increasing the budget for unemployment relief projects ("exceptional" public works) by reclassifying a portion of the "normal" public works projects that had been cut as relief efforts. This is what the author means by the "modification" stage of the policymaking process. Adachi by no means unconditionally acceded to the demands of his party's rank and file, but rather stayed in line with the government's principle of cutting and postponing "normal" public works projects, which was the key measure to the success of retrenchment. In his attempt to balance government principles with the political demands of his party, Adachi resorted to the idea of a return to the gold standard in the two-fold mandate of 1) achieving policy objectives (retrenchment) while at the same 2) preserving his party's strength and loyalty (through more public works projects). In the end, due to Great Britain's international renunciation of the gold standard and the chaotic stalemate over passing the domestic budget for fiscal year 1932, Adachi removed himself as a leading figure in the government, resulting in the failure of his attempt.
- 2012-11-20