China in the 19th Century:
Rebellions,
Foreign Difficulties,
and Decline
January 27, 2015
Reminders
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First term paper due Thursday
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1 electronic copy submitted to Turnitin.com by
midnight
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1 paper copy submitted to your TA
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Use assigned textbooks only
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Ok to cite from unassigned chapters / pages
Class disturbances – please do not watch videos,
browse Facebook, etc.
Review
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Where was the largest European colony in 1600?
During the 17th and 18th centuries, which two
nations were the world’s strongest economic
powerhouses?
Both the Dutch and the Spanish had colonies in
Asia. What was the greatest difference between
the two countries’ approaches?
What was the relationship between Vietnam and
the Qing empire?
Lecture Overview
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Broad History of China from 1800 – 1900
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China’s Weaknesses
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China’s Strengths
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Key Moments
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Key Concepts
Chinese History, 1800-1900
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A century of wars and rebellions
Chinese History, 1800-1900
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A century of wars and rebellions
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Opium War (1839 – 42)
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Arrow War (1856 – 60)
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Sino-French War (1884 – 85)
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Sino-Japanese War (1894 – 95)
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Chinese History, 1800-1900
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A century of wars and rebellions
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White Lotus Rebellion (1796 – 1804)
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Taiping Rebellion (1851 – 64)
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Nian Rebellion (1853 – 58)
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Muslim Rebellions (1850 – 64; 1855 – 73)
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Boxer Rebellion (1900)
Chinese History, 1800-1900
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A century of wars and rebellions
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White Lotus Rebellion (1796 – 1804)
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Opium War (1839 – 42)
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Arrow War (1856 – 60)
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Taiping Rebellion (1851 – 64)
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Nian Rebellion (1853 – 58)
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Muslim Rebellions (1850 – 64; 1855 – 73)
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Sino-French War (1884 – 85)
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Sino-Japanese War (1894 – 95)
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Boxer Rebellion (1900)
Ebrey,
p. 320
Chinese History, 1800-1900
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Result: China lost much of its independence
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Carved into foreign “concessions,” semi-colonial statues
Chinese History, 1800-1900
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Result: China lost much of its independence
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Carved into foreign “concessions,” semi-colonial status
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Manchuria  Russia, then Japan
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Shanghai and Guangzhou regions  The UK
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Vietnam border region  France
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Qingdao  Germany
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What were these concessions?
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Foreigner-administered zones, special tax laws, from unequal treaties
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Different from “colonies” (e.g. Hong Kong, Taiwan)
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No US concessions…
Chinese History, 1800-1900
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Major changes over the century
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Foreign abuse
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Greatly increased
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Unequal treaties, concessions, gunboat diplomacy
Level of commercialization
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Increased, at China’s expense
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Open ports and bad tax rates followed unequal treaties
Financial stability
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Greatly decreased
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Rising debt impeded government efficacy and reform
Chinese History, 1800-1900
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Things that did NOT change much
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Level of nationalism
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Threatening to Manchu rulers
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Many small rebellions, but loyal to individual rulers
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Some signs toward the end? To be discussed…
Level of capitalism
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Against Confucian tradition
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Unappealing to elite class
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Difficult without industrial revolution
China’s Weaknesses
1) Overpopulation
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Statistics: 1685, 1767, 1790, 1850
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Effects on labor, quality of life
2) Technological Stagnation
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Maritime Technology and Weaponry (superficial)
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Industry (deeper)
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Labor Surplus (vs. Europe)
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“High-level equilibrium trap”
China’s Weaknesses
3) Complacency
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Foreign threat unexpected
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Centuries of cultural and economic dominance
4) “Inertia,” or resistance to change
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Strong conservative Confucian traditions
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Entrenched minority rulership (exploited by West)
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Corruption
China’s Weaknesses
5) Other Internal Problems
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Inflation
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Opium addiction
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Labor competition and unemployment
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Poverty and starvation
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Result: unrest and rebellion
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Peasant motives (e.g. Nian)
Religious motives (e.g. White Lotus, Taiping, Muslims,
Boxers)
Ethnic motives (e.g. Taiping, Muslims, Boxers)
China’s Strengths
1) Centralized Qing government
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Capable of repeatedly putting down rebellions,
with assistance of private armies
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Able to sustain repeated war defeats and pay
huge indemnities, without collapsing
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But, also part of the Western strategy (!)
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Easier to prop up government and extract wealth
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Links to Social Darwinism, to be discussed...
China’s Strengths
2) Determined generals and reformers
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Lin Zexu, suppressed opium trade
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Zeng Guofan, quelled Taiping and Nian rebellions
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Li Hongzhang, led reform projects
3) Self-Strengthening Movement (Ebrey, p. 323)
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Military, industrial, and educational reform
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Too little, too late
China’s Strengths
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Overall, weaknesses outweighed strengths
Why wasn't China divided and colonized
outright?
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Size
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Competition between foreign powers
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Difficulties of rulership vs. ease of exploitation
Key Moments
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Opium War, 1839 – 42 (Ebrey, pp. 315 – 318)
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Motives
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British
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Chinese
Battle
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Importance of navy and rifles
Results
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Economic
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Psychological
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Follow-up Arrow War, 1856 – 1860 (Ebrey, pp. 321 – 322)
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Rising missionary influence
Key Moments
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Taiping Rebellion, 1850 – 64 (Ebrey, pp. 318 – 321)
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Motives
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Religious
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Ethnic, Anti-Manchu
Innovations
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Female equality
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Communal property
Results
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Rising use of private armies
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Immense loss of life (20 – 30 million)
Key Moments
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Boxer Rebellion, 1900 (Ebrey, pp. 315 – 318)
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Excerpt from the diary of Luella Miner, an American university
professor living in Beijing in 1900…
June 15: About ten o'clock the most horrible noise began in the
southern city, just on the opposite side of the city wall. It was a
horde of Boxers going through their rites, burning incense, crying,
"Kill the foreign devils! Kill the secondary foreign devils! Kill! Kill!
Kill!" They called other things, but I could only distinguish the
"kill!"...
[Source: O'Connor, Richard. 1973. The Spirit Soldiers: A Historical Narrative of the Boxer Rebellion. By Richard O'Connor.
1973. Putnam Books. As quoted in: "A Prisoner of the Boxer Rebellion, 1900." 2008. EyeWitness to History,
www.eyewitnesstohistory.com. Bold emphasis added. “Tientsin” changed to “Tianjin.”]
Key Moments
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Boxer Rebellion, 1900 (Ebrey, pp. 315 – 318)
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Excerpt continued…
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A garrison of foreign soldiers barricaded Luella’s region of the city, and
they were besieged by the Boxers…
July 18: About two o'clock this afternoon - four weeks to an hour from
the time when we took refuge in this Legation - we received our first
authentic message from the outside world. On June 30, a Methodist
young man was sent by the Japanese Minister as a messenger to
Tianjin, and he has just returned, bringing a letter from the Japanese
Consul in Tianjin, stating that foreign troops numbering 33,300 will
leave Tianjin about the 20th, day after tomorrow, for the relief of
Peking.
Key Moments
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Boxer Rebellion, 1900 (Ebrey, pp. 315 – 318)
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Excerpt continued…
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In mid-August, the relief army arrives…
August 14: ...There was a wild rush for the south end of the compound,
and there, sheltered by the barricades, we stood and saw the first of
the relief army straggling up the streets. And who do you think they
were? Black-faced, high-turbaned troops, Rajputs from India - great,
fierce-looking fellows, but their faces were beaming with joy, and they
hurrahed louder than we did. There were British officers with them…
All that afternoon the troops came streaming in, Sikhs, Bengal Lancers;
English soldiers, and, most welcome of all, our American boys.
Key Moments
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Boxer Rebellion, 1900 (Ebrey, pp. 315 – 318)
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Motives
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Flood and drought blamed on foreign gods
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Anti-foreigner, anti-missionary sentiments
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Last hope of Empress Dowager Cixi, tacit approval
Battle
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Unified international army
Results
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Massive war reparations paid to Europe and Japan
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Need for radical reform fully recognized
Key Concepts
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Nationalism
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Key feature of “modern world” (useful in essay...)
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Nation-states vs. kingdoms ; citizens vs. subjects
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Conditions related to the “idea” of a nation...
1) Distinct geographic borders
2) Common language
3) Common ethnicity
4) Common religion
5) Common culture
6) Urbanization
7) Common history
Key Concepts
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Nationalism continued...
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Importance of “imagined community”
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Nationalism vs. patriotism
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Needs of the political entity (and government) outweigh cultural
traditions
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Based on the masses, not the elite
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Recognizes other nations as legal equals
Stimulating factors
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Mistreatment by others
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Unifying technological or economic forces
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Created through education, army, celebrations, etc.
Tension with women's equality movement
Key Concepts
Social Darwinism
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“Natural selection,” applied to societies
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Advanced societies thrive, weak societies perish
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Closely linked to imperialism
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Can be used to justify both exploitation and “aid”
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Unequal treaties
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“The White Man’s Burden” (excerpt in Ebrey, p. 313)