梁啓超的政治思想在1903年赴美之後出現巨大的轉變。在此前，梁啓超比較傾向於民權和政治體系的變動；在之後則趨於保守、反對共和革命。而無論是在思想轉變之前或之後，其論述都是以「國民」這一間接從Bluntschli繼受而來的概念爲核心。本文試圖藉由脈絡主義的研究方法來指出，梁啓超是基於當時的情勢和不同的立場，取其所需的部分來使用Bluntschli的國民概念。而之所以他能夠如此使用此一概念，則是因爲這一概念源於19世紀的德國國家學。後者的特點是，其本質爲人民主權與君主主權之爭的妥協方案，因此具有兩面性，亦即同時包含了有利於民權的部分亦具有有利於君主制的部分。

Liang Qichao’s political thought took a dramatic turn after his travels to the United States in 1903. Previously, Liang had tended to emphasize the importance of political rights and the transformation of the political system. Later, his attitude became more conservative, and he began to stand against the Republican revolution. What remains constant throughout his writings, however, is the core concept of the “people”（Volk), which Liang indirectly took from Bluntschli. Using the contextualist method, this article attempts to point out that Liang merely took the parts of Bluntschli’s concept of Volk which served his purposes well, depending upon the situation and political goal. It was possible for him to use the term for opposing purposes as it originated from 19th century German political theory, which was essentially shaped by political compromise between the ruler and popular sovereignty. It, therefore, had a double meaning, which contained arguments both in favor of civil liberties and in support of the persistence of the monarchy.