政事堂并非民国初年发轫，在中国古代早有制度轨迹。唐朝初期，政事堂曾是中央最高决策机构。中华民国建立后，为了限制继任临时大总统袁世凯的权力，南京临时政府临时参议院通过《中华民国临时约法》，规定实行责任内阁制。但在袁世凯的强势打压下，加之党派冲突与阁潮不断，北京政府国务院的权威不断被虚化。

随着威权统治的建立与巩固，袁世凯于1914年5月1日颁布“中华民国约法”，改责任内阁制为总统制，撤销国务院，在大总统府内设立政事堂。政事堂设立后，袁世凯在国务卿的“赞襄”下推行种种复古旧制，“洪宪帝制”逐渐走到台前。在护国运动崛起后，袁世凯被迫撤销帝制，北京政府开始考虑重组责任内阁。1916年4月21日，袁世凯公布《政府组织令》，政事堂此时已在形式上与责任内阁无异。5月8日，政事堂正式改称国务院。至此，民初北京政府中央政治体制经过一系列复杂转变后，似乎又回到了原点。在政事堂存在的两年多时间里，前后有徐世昌、陆征祥、段祺瑞等三人担任过国务卿一职。其中，徐世昌前后两次出任国务卿，任职时间最长。

政事堂，是袁世凯为了从机构和体制上瓦解责任内阁制，从而实现独裁统治，进而达到复辟帝制图谋而设立的机构，具有凌驾于当时中央各部之上的超然地位。在政事堂的沿革发展中，其组织和人事调整与当时的政治情势息息相关，呈现出明显的阶段性特征，其各个阶段的组织文本差异与具体政务运作过程的背后是围绕权力展开博弈的复杂面相，折射出袁世凯、徐世昌、段祺瑞等北洋高层之间的利益纠葛，以及北洋系与其他政治力量之间的矛盾斗争。

民初北京政府政体变更频繁的历史证明：不论是责任内阁制，还是总统制，西方代议制政体在中国都面临着水土不服的困境，因此，必须理顺政治制度建设与国情、政情、民情的关系。而袁世凯复辟帝制的失败以及政事堂从设立到改撤的过程则表明，政治民主化是近代以来历史发展的潮流。

The Zhengshitang did not start in the early years of the Republic of China, and it had an institutional track in ancient China. In the early Tang Dynasty, Zhengshitang was the highest decision-making body of the central government. After the establishment of the Republic of China, in order to limit the power of Yuan Shikai, the successor of the interim president, the Provisional Senate of the Nanjing Provisional Government passed the " Interim Constitution Law of the Republic of China", which stipulated the implementation of a responsible cabinet system. However, due to Yuan Shikai's strong suppression, coupled with the constant party conflict and cabinet tide, the State Council of the Beijing government has been weakened and virtualized.

With the establishment and consolidation of authoritarian rule,Yuan Shikai promulgated the "Republic of China Convention" on May 1, 1914, changed the responsibility cabinet system to the presidential system, abolished the State Council, and set up Zhengshitang in the presidential palace. After the establishment of the Zhengshitang, Yuan Shikai implemented various retro old systems with the assistance of the Secretary of state, and the "Hongxian imperial system" gradually came to the front of the stage. After the rise of the National Protection Movement,Yuan Shikai was forced to revoke the monarchy, the Beijing government began to consider reorganizing the responsible cabinet. On April 21, 1916, Yuan Shikai promulgated the "Government Organization Decree", and the Zhengshitang was no different from the responsible cabinet in form. On May 8, Zhengshitang was officially renamed the State Council. So far, the central political system of the Beijing government in the early Republic of China seems to have returned to its original point after a series of complex changes. During the more than two years of Zhengshitang's existence, three people including Xu Shichang, Lu Zhengxiang, and Duan Qirui served as the secretary of state. Among them, Xu Shichang served as Secretary of State twice before and after, and served the longest.

The Zhengshitang was an institution established by Yuan Shikai in order to disintegrate the responsible cabinet system in terms of institutions and systems, so as to achieve dictatorship, and then achieve the restoration of the imperial system. It has a transcendent position above all the ministries at that time. In the evolution and development of Zhengshitang, its organizational institution and personnel selection reforms have a lot to do with the political circumstances at that time, showing obvious stage characteristics. Behind the differences in organizational texts at various stages and the specific operation process of government affairs is the complex face of the game around power， reflecting the interest disputes among the top leaders of Beiyang, such as Yuan Shikai, Xu Shichang, and Duan Qirui, as well as the contradictions and struggles between the Beiyang Department and other political forces.

The history of frequentchanges in the regime of the Beijing government in the early Republic of China proves that whether it is the responsible cabinet system or the presidential system, the western representative regime is facing the dilemma of acclimatization in China，so it is necessary to straighten out the relationship between the construction of the political system and the national conditions, political conditions and people's conditions.The failure of Yuan Shikai to restore the imperial system and the process from the establishment to the withdrawal of the Zhengshitang show that political democratization is the trend of historical development since modern times.