Transcript Chapter 16

Chapter 12
The New Imperialism
Section 5 China and the New
Imperialism
Setting the Scene:
By the 1830s, British merchant ships were
arriving in China loaded with opium to sell to
the Chinese. One Chinese official
complained bitterly to Britain's Queen
Victoria. "I have heard that smoking opium is
strictly forbidden in your country” he wrote.
"Why do you let this evil drug be sent to
harm people in other countries?“
For centuries, Chinese regulations had
ensured that China had a favorable balance
of trade with other nations. By the 1800s,
however, western nations were using their
growing power to gain more influence over
East Asia.
I. The Trade Issue
Prior to the 1800s, Chinese rulers placed strict
limits on foreign traders and China enjoyed a
trade surplus
I. The Trade Issue
Two developments occurred - China entered a
period of decline and the Industrial Revolution
created a need for expanded markets
A. The Opium War
British merchants made huge profits by
trading opium grown in India for Chinese tea
A. The Opium War
The Chinese outlawed opium and executed
Chinese drug dealers, but Britain refused to
stop the trade
Chinese couple smoking opium in 1887
A. The Opium War
In 1839, Chinese warships clashed with
British merchants but the Chinese were
defeated
B. Unequal Treaties
In 1842, Britain made China accept the Treaty
of Nanjing and gained the island of Hong
Kong
B. Unequal Treaties
The treaty required China to pay an indemnity
and gave British citizens in China
extraterritoriality
B. Unequal Treaties
During the mid-1800s, Western powers forced
China to open more ports and to let
missionaries preach in China
II. The Taiping Rebellion
The Taiping Rebellion (1850 to 1864) almost
toppled the Qing dynasty and killed between
20 million and 30 million Chinese
II. The Taiping Rebellion
The Qing government survived, but it had to
share power with regional commanders
III. Reform Efforts
In the 1860s, reformers launched the "selfstrengthening movement” and imported
western technology, industry, and science
III. Reform Efforts
The movement made limited progress
because the empress Ci Xi was committed to
Confucian traditions
Empress Dowager Tzu His (Ci Xi)
(1835-1908)
III. Reform Efforts
When China was defeated by Japan in 1894,
Western powers carved out spheres of
influence along the Chinese coast
III. Reform Efforts
In 1898 emperor Guang Xu launched the
Hundred Days of Reform to modernize China,
but was imprisoned by the conservatives
Emperor Guang Xu
IV. The Qing Dynasty Falls
Anger against Christian missionaries, foreign
troops, and extraterritoriality resulted in the
Boxer Uprising in 1900
Boxer rebels, 1900 photograph
IV. The Qing Dynasty Falls
The goal of the Righteous Harmonious Fists,
or Boxers, was to drive out the "foreign devils"
who were polluting China
United States Marines fighting the Boxer rebels
IV. The Qing Dynasty Falls
The Boxer Uprising failed but Chinese
reformers gained a constitutional monarchy
and called for a republic
IV. The Qing Dynasty Falls
In 1911, Sun Yixian became president based
on the “Three Principles of the People” nationalism, democracy, and livelihood
"Nationalism" involved the overthrow of
the emperor and the ending of
international hegemony over China
"democracy" meant a republican,
elected form of government
"people's livelihood" called for extensive
land reform based on socialism.
Sun Yat-sen
1866–1925