China and the New Imperialism: Part 2 From the Opium Wars to the New Republic

Sound familiar? Devastated economy Shortage of food Corrupt and greedy royal government overtaxing poor peasant farmers …What does this usually lead to???

The Taiping Rebellion 1850-1864 The most devastating peasant revolt in history. Led by a peasant school teacher, Hong Xiuquan, it lasted 14 years. Peasant armies took control of much of China. Was eventually crushed by government armies. 20 to 30 million Chinese died. It failed, and left China even weaker to European domination.

II. Launching Reform Efforts Should the Chinese westernize or not? Many didn’t want to. They disapproved of Christianity’s focus on the individual soul, which goes against Confucian beliefs.

Reforms A.) The Self-Strengthening Movement An effort to industrialize. Empress Ci Xi, a conservative, disapproved. Her Qing dynasty was committed to ancient Chinese tradition.

Reforms War with Japan: The Sino-Japanese War (1894) Japan wins, acquires Taiwan

Reforms Carving spheres of influence: China’s loss to Japan showed its weakness. Russia, Britain, and France moved in quickly.

Reforms China’s humiliation led reformers to lead a movement for Westernization. Stop looking at China’s past, and look to the future instead. After trying to reform China, Ci Xi and the conservatives took power again and stopped the reforms.

III. The End of the Dynasty The Boxer Uprising: 1899 The secret society “The Righteous Harmonious Fists” wanted to drive out foreigners. Trained in martial arts, Westerners called them “Boxers”. Europe and Japan joined forces to crush the uprising.

The Aftermath of the Uprising: Even conservatives began to support Westernization. Immediately reformed education, government, and began to industrialize. Fierce Chinese nationalism took hold of China.