摘要明代是中国历史一个重要的转变时期，整个社会的经济、政治结构都在发生深刻的变化。
这段历史时期恰是中国社会由古代向近代转型的开端、中国经济开始与全球经济接轨的开端。
以白银货币化为核心的货币制度的变迁是这一时期社会结构变化的直接反映，同时也有力地推动了这种变化。
本文第一章笔者回顾了明代货币体系的变迁及明朝政府相应的政策调整。
自明朝开国以来，明太祖朱元璋为了恢复和控制国内经济，相继发行了洪武通宝铜钱和大明宝钞纸币，并严禁金银等贵金属在市场上作为交易品流通。
其后的几位皇帝基本延续了这一政策，但铜钱面值小又不便携带，宝钞发行不久就因发行量无限扩大而急剧贬值。
虽然官方三令五申严禁金银交易，但从民间的反映来看，白银已经成为可以信赖的商品中介物，使用规模也在逐渐扩大。
至正统时，政府的货币政策与社会现实严重脱节，已经到了不得不做出调整的程度。
政府颁布“米麦折银之令”，即农民交纳赋税时不再缴纳粮食实物，而是将其兑换成白银之后再行缴税。
这正是明代中期赋役税收上出现的新变化，后世称之为“金花银”。
银禁一开，政府财政收入大大增加，白银的流通量也急剧上升，折银之项也由粮食税普及到其他税收项目，如以银代役等等。
官员俸禄，军队军饷也开始支付白银，社会上白银的使用程度空前提高，国家财政审计核算皆以白银为基准。
延至万历初，张居正主持财政改革，推行一条鞭法，这又是中国赋役制度史上的一次大变革，将繁杂的各税种合而为一，统一征收白银。
白银成为唯一具有充分货币职能的货币。
第二章主要分析了推动明代白银货币化的种种外部及内部的因素，考察唐宋元以来白银作为商品和一般等价物的使用历史，以说明白银这种贵金属作为货币的天然优越性在明代之前已经为统治者和百姓所熟知，但由于当时白银总量的稀少而没有成为大规模普及的货币。
之所以白银货币化能在明代如火如荼的展开，而不是在更早的时代，是由于明代时期国内流通的白银总量远远超过了前代。
在分析了国内白银生产和海外白银流入的数额之后，发现海外流入的白银（主要是美洲白银和日本白银）构成了中国国内白银流通的最主要部分，即海外巨额白银的流入从根本上推动了明代的白银货币化。
与此同时，作为国家政策制定者和执行者的政府官僚们以及一些有远见的思想家们面对白银货币化的大潮袭来时，出于不同角度和目的的考虑，也提出了对这股大潮或推动或反动的一些观点和见解。
本文对该问题的研究以货币制度史和经济学为主要理论依据，通过考察《明史·食货志》以及《明实录》等相关原始资料，再现明代货币体系发展和白银货币化的实际情况，包括大明宝钞贬值和铜币稀缺的根本原因，明朝政府对赋役制度调整的具体措施等。
再将整个过程置于当时的历史条件和大背景下，并结合明朝政府内部的其他决定性因素，本文细致分析了明代白银货币化的起源、过程与影响，由此试图勾画出明代社会经济发展的整体特征。
关键词：明代社会；货币制度；白银；白银货币化AbstractThe Ming Dynasty was a turning point of Chinese history, the political and economic structures of society were going to have a deeply transformation. It was the transformation from ancientry to modernity, and the connection between Chinese and Global economy. The development of monetary system whose core was silver monetization, was a directly response to the transformations of society, and furthermore, it impelled this transformation effectively.In chapter one ,writer looked back the monetary system of Ming Dynasty to correspond of the policy adjust. Since he had found the nation, Zhu Yuan Zhang published HONG WU copper money and Da Ming Bao Chao notes, and strictly forbade trading gold and silver at the market. Afterward following emperors continued this policy, but the copper money value was cheap and inconvenient to take, also the notes depreciated soonly because of the overflowing publishment. From folks’ reflection, the silver had already became the trust of merchandise, its usage scale was also in gradual extension. While Zheng Tong Dynasty coming, the monetary policy of government became disjointed with social reality. The order of " rice wheat in exchange for silver", namely farmer did not pay the real object for the farm tax and excise tax any longer, but exchanging for silver to pay. This was exactly the new variety of Ming Dynasty service revenue, it was called "Jin Hua Yin".After abandoned the order of silver forbidden, the government finance income increased, silver exchanging made widely available from farm tax to others. Officials' salary, military payroll also paid silver." At the beginning of WAN LI dynasty, Zhang Ju Zheng took charge of finance reform to promoted the Yi Tiao Bian Law, this was another great reform of tax and service system in Chinese history that united complicated tax kinds as one to collect silver. The silver becomes only currency that have a full currency talent.In chapter two,it would mainly analyze the exteriors and inner factors to push the silver monetization in Ming Dynasty. By the investigation of Tang , Song and Yuan Dynasty, silver as a monetary and superior had already been familiar by ruler and common people. Because the small scarcity of silver totally amount ,it did not became a large-scale and universal currency at that time. Silver monetization could launch in Ming Dynasty, because the period domestic circulate of silver total amount was far above ex-generation. Analyzed local silver production and overseas silver quantity,the silver(mainly America silver and Japanese silver) that discovered overseas constituted local silver circulation. The huge sum of overseas silver pushed the silver monetization of the Ming Dynasty. At the same time, the government bureaucrats who had established and performed the national policy and the some farseeing thinkers faced silver monetization and proceed the consideration from different angle, also put forward to some views of agreement or opposition.This text took the history of monetary system and the economics as the main theories basis to research the problem. By exploring 《Ming Shi· Shi Huo Zhi》and 《Ming Shi Lu》related original data,it reappeared the actual circumstance that monetary system development and silver monetization, including the basic reason of Da Ming Bao Chao depreciation and the copper currency sparsity and the service system adjustments. Placed the whole process in the historical condition with background, and combine other decisive factors of government inner part, this text delicacy analyzed Ming Dynasty silver monetization of the origins, process and influence, tried to delineate a whole characteristic of social economic development in Ming Dynasty.Key words: Society of Ming Period; Monetary System; the Silver; Silver Monetization目 录中文摘要 (Ⅰ)英文摘要 (Ⅱ)引 言 (1)第一章、明代白银货币化的历史进程 (3)一、 大明宝钞的盛衰 (3)二、 宝钞退出市场，白银货币化兴起的过渡时期 (6)三、 白银主币地位的确立 (8)第二章、明代白银货币化的动因 (11)一、唐宋元时期的白银货币化趋势与流通状况 (11)二、国内白银开采与海外白银的输入 (12)三、明代货币思想的变化 (13)第三章、明代白银货币化对中国传统社会的冲击 (16)结 语 (18)参考文献 (19)后 记 (22)引 言明代，尤其是晚明时期，是一个社会转型的时代。