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667-675. China Responds to Pressure from the West. Historical Background Information:.
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667-675 China Responds to Pressure from the West
Historical Background Information: • China had been suffering from rebellions, protests, and agricultural shortages for years. This ended with the Qing conquests in the 1600’s, which brought stability to central China as reforms made by new emperors lead to more farmland and a great increase in population. • European merchants began importing opium to China in the early 18th century. The Qing government banned the importation of this drug in 1739, but British merchants and their Chinese partners continued to smuggle opium into China. The business grew and was extremely profitable for both British importers and Chinese merchants who distributed opium. Addiction plagued people on all levels of society. • The Qing Empire lost territory due to colonization and outlying regions gaining their independence or being ceded to neighboring countries. • The Taipings captured Nanjing in 1853 and made it their capital. • Qing forces employed new techniques in order to combat the Taipings. Civilian provincial governors supplied their knowledge of local militia techniques. The new Qing armies surrounded the Taipings at Nanjing in an effort to starve them, but the Taipings held out for over a decade.
Historical Background Information: • The Taiping Rebellion was incredibly destructive, with the death toll estimated at 20 to 30 million. Most deaths were due to starvation or disease. The bubonic plague spread throughout China as a result of the war and then to Singapore, Calcutta, London, and San Francisco. In addition to the aftermath of the war, the Qing Empire was left to deal with the destruction of Shandong after the Yellow River changed course in 1855. • After the Taiping Rebellion, the Qing Empire was in debt and suffering from a lot of destruction. Britain and France became actively involved in Qing recovery. Provincial governors who had gained political power in the fight against the rebels were also important in the Qing Empire’s recovery. The leader of these governors was ZengGuofan, who looked to America as a model in his efforts to restore agriculture, communications, education, and publishing and to reform military and industrialize armaments manufacture.
What were the responses to imperialism within the region or country? Who were the individuals or groups that aided resistance within the country or region? When and how did your country or region gain independence? • Increasing numbers of people mistrusted and hated the government. Many felt that the Qing were foreign invaders who sympathized with Europeans. In some regions, Qing officials had lost control and were replaced by village vigilante groups. The White Lotus Rebellion broke out across Central China in 1794 and was not suppressed until 1804. It sparked internal conflicts that were made worse by ethnic and religious conflicts and the ability of village militia to defend themselves and attack others. • In 1839, the Qing government sent an official to Canton to enforce the ban on importing opium. Britain would not tolerate this threat to their economy. The Opium War began in 1839 when Qing officials and British representatives could not reach a negotiation. Britain had a strong navy that could move quickly and was armed with technologically advanced weapons. The Qing Empire had no navy and their traditional, hereditary soldiers called Bannermen had only outdated weapons. The Qing Empire decided to negotiate with the British as they grew closer to the old Ming capital of Nanjing. The Treaty of Nanking opened up five treaty ports in the Qing Empire instead of one, the island of Hong Kong fell under British control, British residents living in the Qing Empire were guaranteed extraterritorial rights, Qing officials agreed to set a low tariff on imports, and they paid Britain an indemnity.
What were the responses to imperialism within the region or country? Who were the individuals or groups that aided resistance within the country or region? When and how did your country or region gain independence? • A supplementary treaty signed a year later guaranteed Britain most favored nation status, meaning that any privileges that China granted to another country would automatically be granted to Britain as well. This prevented China’s colonization. • China continued to sign treaties granting foreigners more rights. These treaties legalized the importation of opium, established the rights of foreign missionaries to travel and preach throughout the Chinese countryside, and increased the number of treaty ports to over ninety by 1900. • In coastal cities like Canton and Shanghai, local Chinese were employed as menial laborers in European and American factories and offices. Europeans and Americans had their own houses, restaurants, and bars. Gambling and prostitution rose in these areas as a means of employment for the urban Chinese population. • Christian missionaries who sponsored hospitals, soup kitchens, and shelters had a good reputation among the Chinese. However, the Chinese also hated the fact that the missionaries condemned certain Confucian traditions and practices. • As China became both more impoverished and militarized, resentment for foreigners and their many privileges grew. • The Taiping Rebellion began in Guangxi in 1850 for a variety of reasons related to social unhappiness and foreign intrusions.
What were the responses to imperialism within the region or country? Who were the individuals or groups that aided resistance within the country or region? When and how did your country or region gain independence? • Hong Xiuquan, a member of the unhappy minority group the Hakkas, was the founder of the Taiping movement. He suffered a nervous breakdown after taking Confucian examinations in hopes of obtaining a government post but failing multiple times. After being exposed to Christianity by Chinese and American Protestant missionaries, Xiuquan came to believe that he was Jesus’ younger brother, and his mission was to achieve world peace by ridding China of the Qing government. His religious movement was called the “Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace” and quickly grew, especially among the Hakkas. The Qing government tried arresting the Taipings but they were able to repel the government’s attempts. They continued to grow as they changed their preaching methods and forced captured villages to join their movement. • In addition to the Taipings, rebellious Nian (bands) in the north posed yet another threat to the Qing Empire beginning in the 1850s. • The British and French launched the Arrow War against the Qing Empire in 1856, defeating them in 1860. They put more treaties into place before helping the Qing Empire defeat the rebellious Nian and Taiping groups.
Hong Xiuquan Hong Xiuquan was the founder of the Taiping movement, a rebellion against the Qing government that would eventually lead to millions of deaths. After taking Confucian examinations in hopes of achieving a government post and failing several times, Xiuquian suffered a nervous break down. He believed himself to be the younger brother of Jesus, and his goal was to bring peace to the world by ridding China of Qing rule. He called his religious movement the “Heavenly Kingdom of Peace,” and it soon gained support, especially among Hakkas.
Analyze the effects of imperialism from historical and modern day perspectives: It was very obvious that the Qing Empire was no match for Britain in the Opium War. The Qing’s traditional army, the Bannermen, was mainly armed with swords, knives, spears, and clubs. The most advanced weaponry available to them were muskets that had been imported during the 1700’s and were inaccurate and dangerous to use. On the other hand, Britain’s talented and powerful navy was armed with the most technologically advanced weapons. They had long-range artillery available for their use, in addition to percussion-cap rifles which were much safer, quicker, and more accurate than the muskets of the Bannermen. The Qing Empire’s defeat in the Opium War left it open to being taken advantage of by Western powers through treaties. As foreigners’ presence and privileges increased in the Qing Empire, so did unrest, leading to the bloodiest civil war before the 20th century. Twenty to thirty million people died in the Taiping rebellion, leaving terrible destruction in its wake. The Qing Empire could not have suppressed the Taiping Rebellion without the help of Britain and France. However, it was the presence of foreigners that led to the violent civil war in the first place. In the case of China, the presence of imperialist forces was completely negative until after the Taiping Rebellion. ZengGuofan applied many American ideas to his reforms as the Qing Empire was rebuilding itself after the Taiping Rebellion. He employed many progressive ideas, including sending Chinese boys to America to study, and acknowledging the importance of educating women.
Opium Pictured is the plant the opium comes from. Opium is a highly addictive yet highly profitable drug that British and Chinese merchants illegally smuggled into China during the 18th and 19th centuries. When the Qing government decided to enforce their ban on the importation of opium, Britain responded by waging war. The Qing Empire was badly beaten in the Opium War due to its outdated, inferior weapons.
