Transcript China
China From empire to republic Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Manchu nomadic invaders Originally stabilized China Ruled for 300 years Ended with the Chinese Revolution of 1911 Qing Dynasty Retained: – Scholar gentry – Ethnic Chinese admitted to imperial gov’t – Civil service exams – Confucian social hierarchy – Patriarchal authority (though widows could remarry) Qing Dynasty Tried to help peasants, but dramatic increase in population led to all sorts of problems – Famine – Civil unrest – banditry Opium War (1839-1841) Tension between China and the West – Emperor Qianlong called the King George III a barbarian; rejected trade goods – English refused to honor the emperor Economic interest for English involvement – Tea – East India Company Opium War Tea – English wanted it; had nothing that China needed Woolens, clocks, music boxes, curios They had a colony in India! East India Company: traded goods from India to Chinacotton didn’t reach high enough sales; opium was the answer Opium War England Tea China Cotton & opium Manufactured goods Silver India Opium War Effects of opium trade in China: – Health problem – 1820s and 30s, silver leaving China destabilized the currencyfiscal problem – 1834 abolishment of the EIC’s monopoly increased the opium trade (hooray for Smithians!) – British antagonism Opium War Effects in China – British antagonism: Official British representative in China (not EIC) Took a hardline w/ China; violated Chinese regulations – China withdrew from British community – 1836 emperor suppressed opium, created internal conflict Opium War Lin Zexu (1785-1850) – Imperial commissioner – Appealed to Queen Victoria to end trade – Admonished merchants; had force to back him up; forced surrender of opium; made them sign a pledge to never trade opium21,306 chests delivered; took 23 days to destroy it – Continued to escalate issue – 1839, English sailors killed a Chinese villager – 11/1839, continued escalation – 12/1839, trade ceased – January 31,1840, war was declared Opium War Results: – Hong Kong to Britain in 1841 – Disgrace of Lin Zexu and Englishman Elliot The Treaty of Nanjing and the Treaty System August 29, 1842, ended the war 5 ports opened to British: Canton, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo, Shanghai 21 million Spanish silver dollars in reparations to England Chinese relinquished rights to establish own tariffs (hooray for Smithian British!) Hong Kong ceded to British “in perpetuity” Extraterritoriality for British The Treaty of Nanjing and the Treaty System Most-favored-nation status to British AND to any other nation that gained a concession (US and France later gained it in 1844) Opium trade expanded Foreign gunboats allowed to anchor at treaty ports Internal Crisis Imperial failure to maintain order w/in the nation: – Grand Canal became impassable by 1849 – Yellow River, 1852, overflowed and diverted – Banditry – Poverty – Series of rebellions: Taipings largest The Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) Founder: Hong Xiugan – Synthesized Christianity with Confucian and other Asian beliefs – Emphasized Old Testament—esp. the 10 Commandmentsdestroy the “idols” – Vision: Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace, egalitarian, God-ordained utopia Taiping Rebellion Taiping beliefs: – Banned: opium, tobacco, gambling, alcohol, prostitution, sexual misconduct, footbinding – Women equal to men – Economic egalitarianism – Monogamous marriages Political structure: units=25 families, leaders combined civil, military, & economic duties Anti-Manchu (“the devils”) Taiping Rebellion By July 1850, over 10,000 adherents; over 1 million by 1853 Organized, armed resistance to Manchus January 11, 1851, Hong’s followers proclaimed him “Heavenly King” 1851, formally declared “Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace”began march on Nanjing (1853, reached and overtook) Good, capable leaders; ineffective government forces Taiping Rebellion No foreign support due to condescending language and failure to appease foreign powers Leadership crisis in 1856 Taiping Rebellion Beginning of the end: – Leadership failure – Inadequate implementation of stated policies – Leadership not following theories (concubinage) – Repelled Chinese: anti-Confucian as well as anti-Manchu Zeng Guofan (1811-1872) and the Defeat of the Taiping Dedicated Confucian; product of the system Regional army leader from Hunan; capable leadersuccessfully launched counterattacks Managed to acquire Western army officers: “Ever Victorious Army” (British officer) and “Ever Triumphant Army” (French officers) Well-funded July 19, 1864 took Nanjing, followed by a blood-bath Effects of the Taiping Rebellion Estimated death toll of more than 20 million Taipings inspired future revolutionaries Conservatives admired Zeng Guofan People struggled with choices Ren Xiong, served in military, but struggled w/ decision. Self-portrait. China and the World Treaty ports British demand for new ports in China – Belief in free trade as stimulus – Treaties of Tianjin and Conventions of Beijing (total of 21 new ports) Chinese migration to US (1852=25000 Chinese in US; 2xs that by 1887 in California alone) Loss of land to Russia Most-favored nation status by 1860: France, Britain, US, Russia China at the beginning of the 20th C The final years of the dynasty New reformers – Yan Fuinfluenced by Adam Smith & Social Darwinism, and argued that Western learning was needed to release Chinese energies – Kang Youwei (1858-1927)sought to create a constitutional monarchy like Japan – Dr. Sun Yat Sen The dynasty’s final years The Empress Dowager Cixi – Refused to reform (imprisoned revolutionaries) Not quite completely Allowed minor reforms such as military modernization, education reform, fiscal system reform – Corrupt – Supported the Boxer Rebellion from 18981901 as a means of ousting the foreigners The Revolution of 1911 Led by Sun Yat-Sen (who was technically in the US) Prelude: – Gov’t desire to centralize – Gov’t desire to nationalize RR lines – Had to take out foreign loans Revolution broke out Emperor abdicated February 2, 1912 China became a republic