Prophecy and Rebellion
Islamic World and Africa
Taiping Rebellion in China
1800-1900
Domination by Europeans
• 19th century witnesses an acceleration of
European influence around the globe
• Industrial capitalism (steam power, mass
production) and centralized modern states
(fuelled by nationalism and imperialism) make
this possible
• The search for raw materials to fuel production
and markets to sell manufactured goods disrupts
the existing order even in places far removed
from Europe
Return to roots in Islam
• The declining fortunes of the Muslim
empires leads to fears among some
religious leaders that Islam is in trouble
• The way to turn the tide, argued some
religious leaders, was to return to the root
teachings of Mohammed
• The problems, they argued, were a result
of straying from the core of Islamic faith
Wahhabism
• Founded by Muhammad Ibn abd alWahhib (1703-1792) on the Arabian
peninsula (modern-day Saudi Arabia)
• Argued that every idea added to Islam
after the third century of the Muslim era
(around 900 CE) should be abolished
• The wave of religious fundamentalism
posed a threat to the Ottomans as it
spread under the support of the House of
Saud – who sought to push the Ottomans
of the Arabian peninsula
Inspired by the zeal of Wahhabism, the House
of Saud overran Mecca and Medina in 1803.
An Egyptian army drove them out, but
Wahhabism continued to draw supporters
from across the Muslim World. It can be seen
as the origins of Islamic fundamentalism
today.
West Africa
• The Fulani people, mostly nomadic cattle
herders, fueled an Islamic revival in
present-day Nigeria
• Led by the cleric Usman Dan Fodio (17541817) , an adherent of Sufiism, eventually
created a vast empire known as the
Sokoto Caliphate
• He had a series of religious visions which
urged him on a jihad against the enemies
of Islam in West Africa
Southern Africa
• The first three decades of the 19th century
witnessed widespread chaos known as the
Mfecane (a term disputed by J. Cobbing)
• The introduction of maize (corn) to the are
meant standing armies could be formed
because fewer people were needed to
farm – but they used more water
• The main cause was overpopulation –
which led to battles for land and water
resources in the area
Small communities
to centralized kingdoms
• The area was governed by local chiefs
and councils – no central governments
• Pressure for land and resources results in
often violent seizures of land and
displacement of peoples
• New states began to spring up to
consolidate authority over large territories
– like the Swazi, Lesotho, Ndebele, and
the Zulu state
• The strength of
Shaka’s state was its
military structure
• A large, disciplined,
and well trained army
that continued to
incorporate conquered
peoples
• Shaka had a
charismatic style and
did not shy away from
using terror as a tactic
Qing Dynasty in trouble
• Before 1842, China had restricted trade
with Europeans to the port of Canton
(Guangzhou)
• Under the Treaty of Nanjing (1842):
– Hong Kong was ceded to Britain
– four more ports were opened up to British
trade
– Britain was given favoured nation status
– British missionaries were allowed into the
interior of China
Economic dislocation and rebellion
• The Qing leadership faced social
problems:
– a rising population
– Imports of opium were rising each year
– Regional economic shifts as Europeans set
up new bases
– A long tradition of peasant uprisings inspired
by religious and millenarian visions and
prophecies
Hong Xuiquan (1813-1864)
• A failed student – he
mixed traditional
Chinese prophetic
elements with
Christianity to lead a
millenarian movement
• Directed his wrath
against the Qing
Dynasty rather than
the Europeans
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
• Based on Hong’s vision interpreted
through his reading of a Christian text
• It invited followers to usher in an
egalitarian and just society – the Heavenly
Kingdom
• The group drew hundreds of thousands of
followers who were eager for an
alternative to their present hopeless
situation – mostly from the labouring
classes
The Heavenly Kingdom’s rules
• Civil service exam now based on the
Bible, not confucian texts
• State ownership and distribution of land
• Equality for women – they could write civil
service exam and serve in the army
• Foot binding banned
• Restrictions on consumption of alcohol,
opium, polygamy, prostitution and slavery
The Taiping Rebellion (1851-1864)
• The rebellion spread’s very quickly over a
large area of Southern China
• Rebels gain control of the city of Nanjing –
turn it it into the Heavenly Kingdom
• Control of the Yangtzi River allows them to
keep supplies moving over large area
• 20 million civilians and military personnel
were killed
Suppressing the rebellion
• The rebellion was put down in 1864 by
combined force of Chinese and European
forces
• With large parts of southern China laying
in waste, and their power eroding to the
gentry who had fought off the rebels, the
Qing were in a tough position
• They would face further trouble as the 19th
century wore on
Conclusion
• Alternative visions in these areas tended
to be focused on internal issues rather
than direct confrontation with Europeans
• They were fueled by visions of a world that
mixed prophecy with an impulse to restore
an old order (whether real or imagined) in
order to deal with the shocks of change in
the global order