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China. Opium Wars: 1839-1842. Britain began importing opium(smokable Heroin) in 17 th Century, creating large addiction problem. After British conquest of India and its northern opium fields, increased the importation. By 1839, Brits importing 40,000 chests of 150lbs each into China.
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Opium Wars: 1839-1842 • Britain began importing opium(smokable Heroin) in 17th Century, creating large addiction problem. • After British conquest of India and its northern opium fields, increased the importation. • By 1839, Brits importing 40,000 chests of 150lbs each into China. • Pd for with Silver, depleting China’s international currency.
Opium Wars • China’s Emperor asked that supply be stopped. • Britain refused, Chinese dumped a bunch into the river. • Britain sent in fleet, sunk the Chinese navy and forced China to pay indemnity, allow British importation of opium and allowed for other “spheres of economic influence”, basically “most favored nation status,” reduced tariffs etc. • Totally humiliated Chinese.
Treaty Ending War • China had to pay Britain 21 Million dollars • Open five ports to British trade, with residences for British consuls and merchants, essentially setting up colonial cities in China. • China had to give up Hong Kong, which Britain remained in possession of until 1990. • Permission to dock British war ships to protect their merchant interests. • This began the Treaty system of imperialism, where you forced treaties on countries to allow you access to their economies at gun point. The U.S. and France followed with treaties at different ports forcing an Open Door into China’s rich trade.
Sino-Japanese War 1894-95 • Japan had begun to modernize. • Japan began to develop a political, strategic and economic interest in Korea. • Korea had been a basically independent vassal state to China, paying money to stay independent. • The Japanese also had begun to move in on other tributary island kingdoms which had always paid tribute to China, including Taiwan.
Sino Japanese War • By the late 1800s, Taiwan was considered half civilized and half barbarian, with aboriginal peoples. • Several Japanese shipwrecks were hacked up by these barbarians. • Through treaty trickery (Chinese really didn’t understand international law) and military force, the Japanese took over the former tributary islands, including Taiwan.
Sino Japanese War • China looked to U.S. Grant and America for advice, we told them to settle. • China again humiliated. • Japan emboldened moved on Korea, forced an Open Door treaty. • Korea was politically divided between those who wanted modernization and those who wanted the old ways. • Both Japan and China had allies in Korea
Sino Japanese War • By mid 1890s both Japan and China had troops in Korea, supporting their sides, which led to war in 1894-95. • Most thought China would dominate, simply based on their size. • Japan with its modern military and navy crushed them. • China had to: give up Taiwan and other islands, grant Korea independence, pay huge indemnity, and grant open door interests to Japan. • More humiliation. • Russia and France then forced more concessions. • China was basically being carved up in spheres of interest.
Boxer Rebellion • Chinese were getting fed up with the weakness of imperial dynasty. • Group of anti-government, anti foreigner societies grew up, called Boxers. • In 1900, they went on a rampage, killing foreigners, including British and Japanese government officials and Chinese Christian converts. Boxer Rebellion.
Boxer Rebellion • Boxers invaded the capital and took over. European powers sent in military to squash the rebellion • Europeans charged more indemnities and concessions, including the right to station more troops in China.
Missionaries to China • Much of European and American involvement in China was religious. • Missionaries went to China to convert them to Christianity. • Of course, this intrusion was considered insulting to the majority of Chinese and their government. • These missionaries had a huge influence back home in America and the American attitude toward China in the early 20th century. Particularly the Luce family. • They owned Time-Life.
The antebellum years • After all these incidences, China went through year of turmoil as the dynastic system crumbled. • Attempts at Constitutional government failed. Warlords ruled most of China. • Sun Yat Zen briefly led a Western Style government. • Two major political powers arose during the teens and 20s, until the Japanese occupation in 1931. • Nationalists KMT: Chaing Kai Chek • Communists: Mao Zedong
The Nationalists (Gumindang or GMD, and Communists • The leader of the Nationalists (GMD) was Chiang Kai-shek and his very western wife Madam Chiang. • Leader of the Communists was Mao Zedong. • By the early 20s, Chiang had come to power, using his superior military skills to suppress the warlords who were dominating much of China after the fall of the Emperor • Chiang had been supported by Stalin, but the Russians had begun to meddle in Chinese affairs to bring Mao into power. • Chiang attempted to purge the communists, who the Nationalists had briefly had a coalition with.
Nationalist dominate • By 1929, China was mainly unified under Chiang’s KMT and many communists had been killed and jailed. • The government was dedicated to being a constitutional government, with equal treatment for the peasantry, the vast majority of the Chinese people.
Chinese Civil War • Chinese Civil War lasted through 20s and 30s with the Communist backed by the Soviet Union. • The KMT, the Nationalists, seeming more and more corrupt, and the party of the Oligarchs.
Long March: 1934-35 • Catapulted Mao to legend status, as the Communist escaped entrapment in the South East and moved to the North, establishing themselves as the People’s Army with the poor. • Communist went from 90k soldiers, to 10 k who survived. • Carried with the weapons, amunition and other supplies. • Broke out after being surrounded by 500k KMT forces.
World War II • Japan began making inroads of occupation in coastal China. • Japan occupied most of Korea. • After joining the Axis with Germany and Italy, the French Vichy government gave them French Indochina: Vietnam. • U.S. cut off oil imports. • Japan needed to move on Dutch Indochina’s oil fields, so attacked U.S. fleet in Hawaii.
World War II • Japan led a brutal assault on China in 1937,committing many war atrocities, including the fire bombing of mostly wooden Nanking, referred to by the West as the “Rape of Nanking.” • KMT were the “official army” of China fighting the Japanese. • The communists fought them in the North. Solidified their base among the peasantry.
After the War • Communist Army dominated the Nationalist, who escaped to the Island of Taiwan, where they continue to dominate. • China believes that Taiwan is there and many disputes have occurred there. • The United States is obligated to protect.
U.S. Korean War • North Korean’s backed by the Soviets move to establish communist state. • U.S. backs South Korea, who basically has military dictatorship. • Korea is in economic disarray, to say the least, after fifty years of Japanese occupation.
U.S. Korean War • U.S. looks like it’s going to win. • China sends in the troops driving the U.S. out of the North. • MacArthur, hero of Asian campaign in WWII, wants to Nuke China. • Truman fires him. • Cease fire is called, creating North and South Korea. • Still the rallying cry for North Korea, heros of the fight against the brutal Japanese occupation.
Great Leap Forward: mid 1960s • Mao’s attempt to communalize agriculture and industry, led to widespread famine and death. • Led to power struggles within the Party. • As many as 20 Million people starved to death as agricultural production declined.
Containment of China • The U.S. strategy of containment with China has basically been to develop a ring in the Pacific able to attack China with a moments notice. • Japan • Taiwan • The Philippines • Guam • Hawaii • Australia • Lesser Island bases
China and Soviet Union • Had frosty relationships over domination of Asia. • Fought Border Wars. • Soviets backed Vietnam, who had border disputes with China. • Soviets backed India, who also had border disputes with China.
Cultural Revolution • As Mao got sicker, there was a power struggle with his wife and the gang of four and others. • Led to the killing and “reeducation” of “liberal” educated elite, to be supplanted by the proletariat caused economic mess. • Chou En Lai and Deng Xiaping win out from Gang of Four.
Nixon (Kissinger) reestablishes relationship with China. • KMT removed as representative to U.N. • We sent ping pong team, Nixon visits in 70s. Forest Gump. • Part of U.S. containment policy to isolate Soviets from their biggest nuclear buddy.
Deng Xiaping • Open up China to West. • Got U.S. to recognize “red” China as China. • Got Britain to give up Hong Kong. • Began the modernization and the opening of Free market capitalism in China. • Things didn’t have to be WWMD… • Used modern banking and deposits to fund free market businesses with a government centralized plan.
After Mao’s Death in 1976 • Carter abrogates Treaty with Taiwan, officially recognizing “red” China. • U.S. maintains the right to arm Taiwan and protect it from invasion. • Whenever China has made moved toward Taiwan, we’ve sent in the fleet. We continue to sell weapons to Taiwan for their “protection.”
Deng Xiaping • In the hinterlands small businesses were allowed. • Emphasized market efficiencies. • Beginning of Modern China.
Tiananmen Square Massacre • Site of the Forbidden City. • People began to breathe economic freedom and, mistakenly believe that political freedom might follow. • Protest in 1989. • Hundreds massacred. • Most Chinese students today haven’t even hear of it: Censorship.
Hu Jintao • Current leader of the communist party and government. Since 2002. • Rule has been characterized by the speedy emergence of free markets. • Different areas have different levels of freedoms. • Still an autocratic system, with dissent squished immediately and lots of political prisoners and censorship: Harmonious society being his goal.
Chinese Economy • Is export driven • Fastest growing in the world • Soon to pass Japan as the Second largest.
Chinese economy • Big environmental problems: air, water, ewaste. • Unsustainable Growth. • If they are going to continue to grow, we must grow our spending, which isn’t likely • Need sources of energy (Natural gas, oil) (Iran) • Skilled worker shortages. • Ethnic problems (Uighers, Tibetans) • Workers moving to Urban areas demanding more, similar to U.S. in early 20th. • Aging population will create worker and food shortages. • Raw materials shortages: Potable Water, clean air, arable land, etc.
Demographics are Destiny • China presently is birthing 125 males for every female. By 2020 they’ll have more single men than the U.S. will have men. • Source of unrest in the future.