Transcript Chapter 26 Notes

Civilizations in Crisis: Ottoman
Empire, the Islamic Heartlands,
and Qing China
Chapter 26 notes
Ms.Chattin
Hong Xiuquan-Taiping Rebellion
• Hong Xiuquan 1 of 5 children of a poor farm family. His
family saved to get him a tutor to study for the civil service
exam to improve the family’s fortunes, but he failed 4 times!
Being depressed Xiuquan travelled a bit and came into contact
with a Protestant. He read some biblical readings and decided
that God and Jesus came to him in a dream and told him he was
the younger son of Jesus and instructed him to fight against
political corruption and other agents of the devil! (1837)
• Hong was a well educated and charismatic speaker…he soon
started preaching and many were attracted to his message.
Called them “God worshipers”. Lead rebellion against Qing,
corruption, western influences, wealth gap. He wanted to
redistribute lands, end exams, give equality to women, and ban
opium smoking.
• Lead rebellion for 13 years-one of the most successful
rebellions in Chinese history-even had their own capitalNanjing
From Empire to Nation: Ottomans
• Ottoman Empire on edge of disintegration: weak rulers
(sultans forced to stay in palaces) and Janissaries too
powerful. Territory in the Balkan Peninsula began to be
taken over by superior militaries of
Austria/Poland/Russia (Holy Alliance). Also some
territories won their independence like Greece!
• The regional officials and ayan cheated sultan of revenue
and continued to put pressures of taxation on peasants
• Europeans powers didn’t want to see Ottoman Empire
topple b/c 1) dismemberment of country could lead to
disagreements and wars (2) the British were worried
about Russian interests in a warm water port in the
Balkans (caused the British to support Ottoman Turks
against Russia during the Crimean War –British won)
Reform and Survival-Ottoman
• Managed to survive into the 20th century in large part due to
European fears
• Started to pass internal reforms to make state better
-Sultan Selim III-reform gov. and military, but angered
Janissaries who revolted and killed in in 1807
-Sultan Mahmud II-secretly built army and slaughtered
Janissaries (soup kitchen debacle) then continued
westernization reforms: diplomats and military advisors from
Europe
• Tanzimat Reforms: 1839-1879 : westernization reforms:
education, science and math training, state run postal and
telegraph service, RR, legal reforms, constitution (1876)
• Opened ports (1838 trade agreement) to manufactured
goods-hurt artisans-couldn’t compete with goods 
• 1908 last sultan of Ottomans overthrown
Repression and Revolt
• Sultan threatened-westerns saw the need for more liberal
reforms and saw the sultan as a barrier to change
• Sultan Abdul Hamid (1878-1908)-return to old autocratic ways,
limited reforms, ended constitution and civil liberties, and jail
or even killed dissidents.
• Sultan Abdul Hamid was overthrown by a coup in 1908 by the
Ottoman Society for Union and Progress (started in Paris in
1889)-called the Young Turks. Group of officers restored the
constitution and press freedoms and promised more…however
the sultan was retained as a figurehead and a the supreme
religious authority. Officers eventually ended up fighting each
other prior to WWI. Eventually, a Young Turk, Mustasfa Kemal
became the founder of Turkey
Western Intrusions
• Arabs under Ottoman rule-at least they are
Muslims. European powers threatened the
continuity of Islam and their religious community.
• This became a crisis-What to do?
• Question on what to do about European influence
on Islam: (1) jihad-(2) borrow ideas and innovate
more (al-Afghani and Muhammad Abduh)
Muhammad Ali and Egypt
• In 1798 Napoleon launched an attack on Egypt, but Egyptians under
the Muslim Mamluk army felt they could easily conquer the French.
But they were wrong and lost –showing the flaws of the best Islamic
army. Napoleon won and wanted to establish a giant Middle Eastern
Empire to block trade between India and the British. Soon however
the British step in and conquered the French restoring Egyptian
independence.
• Muhammad Ali (Albanian) emerged as the Egyptian ruler during this
time. He wanted to improve and make westernized reforms especially
to the military! Much more effective military as a result  Increased
farm outputs (to feed Europe’s industrial demands) and increased
public projects (irrigation). Died in 1848 and his descendants took
over powers, called the khedives. Khedives ruled until 1952.
• Following Muhammad Ali’s death not much progress in Egypt,
widening gap btw rich and poor and the Khedives more interested in
excess than ruling  Became in debt to European financiers b/c they
wanted cheap Egyptian cotton and later access to the Suez Canal
(1869)…making Egypt one of the most strategic locations on earth!
Link Europe and their colonies in Asia and Africa.
Bankruptcy, Euro intervention, Resistance
• Mounting debts and importance of the Suez Canal
made Egypt very important. When Egyptians
started to default on loan payments British and
French financiers requested military actions.
• 1880s-resistance movement under young Egyptian
military officer Ahmad Orabi: critical of khedival
regime. Revolted in 1882 when the gov. laid off
Egyptian officers and not others…attack drove
khedive to seek British help! British crushed
Orabi’s rebellion and put back the khedive.
• British intervention led to British dominance.
They began using the khedives like puppets and
began controlling foreign and economic affairs.
Thus direct European control had begun over the
Islamic heartlands!!!
Jihad: Mahdist Revolt
• British became involved in Egypt’s problems-Sudan! British helped
win Sudan.
• Sudanese unhappy with Egypt: corruption, taxes, favoritism, end of
slave trade.
• Muhammad Achmad united Sudanese to fight (descendant of
Muhammad), associated with the promised deliverer, Mahdi.
• Muhammad Achmad started a Jihad against Egyptian heretics and
British infidels-extreme violence. He wanted to purge Islam of
superstitious beliefs and bad practices. Violence against Egyptians
who practiced corrupt Islam.
• Used guerrilla tactics and blessing/ magic to win victories. Took
Sudan  But then Mahdi died of typhus  Khalkifa Abdallahi
succeeded as the leader of the movement. Create society in which
smoking, dancing, and drinking alcohol was forbidden while theft
prostitution, and adultery severely punished! Foreigners imprisoned
or expelled, and no ban on slavery.
• 1898 British General Kitchener ended movement: Battle of
Omdurman –slaughtered Mahdists
The Last Dynasty: Qing
• Nurhaci united Manchuria under Qing. The Ming
invited the Qing to help fight against internal
Chinese rebellion along the Great Wall-never went
home! The Ming dynasty overthrown in 1644 with
the last Ming emperor, Chongzhen (killed
himself). (Remember some people during the
Ming dynasty were eating bird droppings and tree
bark)
• Qing took over ruling China and adopted Chinese
ways: Exam, social hierarchy, Confucian values.
Economy and Society: Qing
• Continued past social hierarchy (women subservient to
father and husbands-children to parents)
• Males considered better (no dowry) and there was female
infanticide. Women got a better position by being the 1st
wife and not a concubine. Also needed to have sons.
• Qing lowered taxes and conscripted state labor demands
 Qing repaired public works projects and improved
farming!
• However gap between rich and poor increased in rural
areas. Gentry men grew out their fingernails to show they
didn’t have to work!
• Didn’t control the economy as much as the Ming-opened
up more international trade. Compradors specialized in
import-export trade in Qing dyansty
Rot from Within: Qing
• Late 18th century in decline:
-Exam cheating/favoritism
-Sons of officials given positions
-Buying of posts, bribes, and others taking tests
-less public works projects
-less military training and $ on military
• Qing become less concerned with people and more
concerned with excesses
• Dams flood killing many and brought famine and food
shortages coupled with increased demands by landlords
on poor –ripe for rebellion
Barbarians
• Chinese thought of Europeans as Barbarians
• Unbalanced trade between China and Europe-bullion for
Chinese luxury products
• British begin importing opium (strong Indian version).
Chinese become hook and 1% of population become
drug addicts-not reflecting values of China! China asks
British to remove opium and they merchants refuse.
Therefore, the Chinese government takes over British
warehouse and destroys the opium. Merchants complain
to the state and ask for military intervention…hence the
Opium War 1839 / 1850s
• The British easily won because the Chinese didn’t have
advanced militaries (not industrialized). This victory
gave British increasing areas/ ports like Hong Kong to
trade for goods and increased influence over China.
Civilization at Risk
• Growing power of the west led to rebellions like the Taiping
Rebellion (Hong Xiuquan) against the Qing. Taiping even had
female regiments in their military and wanted to establish a
utopian society and rid the people of corruption and evil. They
were very successful. However, over time the Taipings began to
alienate some of their followers because no real reforms were
taking place! Social Reforms!
• Europeans supported Qing because of the strange God
worshipers.
• Eventually the Qing broke the movement, but after years of
rebellions.
• Empress Cixi took power of throne-ultraconservative –no social
reforms.
• Qing still held onto power-and backed popular outbursts aimed at
expelling foreigners from China like the Boxer Rebellion in
1898.
Fall of Qing
• Lasted into the 20th century!
• People wanted social reforms but
government was providing them
• Middle class revolts
• 1912 last emperor of China, Puyi, deposed
and China was turned into a republic
Muslims and Chinese Decline
• Both had internal problems and the west started
encroaching
• ME – long threat of Europeans whereas China was
very recent
• ME – shared much with Europe-was easy to
borrow from whereas China felt it was hard to
borrow from the barbarians
• ME- Many Islamic countries vs. 1 China
• ME – Islamic kingdoms had one religion to fall
back on whereas China didn’t really have a strong
religious tradition
• Both were only partially colonized