You will need glue and 4 colored
pencils for today
Imperialism in Southeast Asia
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European Powers Invaded the “Pacific Rim”
Imperial Nation
Great Britain
Territories Controlled
Malaysia, Burma, and Singapore
The Netherlands
Indonesia (“Dutch East Indies”)
France
Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia)
United States
Philippines and Hawaii
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Britain and France allowed Siam (present day
Thailand) to stay independent as a buffer
between their possessions in S.E. Asia
Imperialism in Southeast Asia
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Why Southeast Asia?
Land (mainly islands) perfect for establishing trading
and military posts
 Excellent for plantation agriculture
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Rubber
Timber
Spices
Coffee
Tea
Pineapples
Sugar
Tin
Imperialism in Southeast Asia
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Colonial Economies
Colonial powers did not want their colonists to
develop their own industries so they focused on the
exports of raw materials
 Natives worked at poverty level wages on
plantations owned by foreign investors. Conditions
were horrible and unhealthy
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Imperialism in Southeast Asia
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Resistance to Colonial Rule
at 1st – came from ruling classes (leaders)
 Peasant revolts that were quickly put down
 Early 1900s, resistance came from a new urban
middle class that had been educated in Western
schools, spoke western languages
 In the 1930s, these resistance movements began to
demand national independence.
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Glue the map to the bottom of page 37
In 1793, the Qing Emperor (Qianlong, above left) received
an ambassador (Lord George McCartney, right) from Great
Britain, but rejects the importation of goods from the
British saying they were not interested in the “strange
objects” offered from the West.
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China rejected offers of trade from the West
because it was largely self-sufficient in the
ways:
◦ Agriculture
 Quick-growing strain of rice since the 11th century
 Maize, sweet potatoes, and peanuts since 17th/18th
centuries
◦ Natural Resources
 Salt, tin, silver, and iron
◦ Manufacturing
 Silks, high-quality cottons, fine porcelain
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video
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Foreigners were only allowed to
trade at 1 port, Guangzhou.
Trade balance was in China’s favor
(China exported more than it imported)
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European merchants decide to sell
the habit-forming drug opium (a
narcotic derived from the opium
poppy plant) in China to obtain a
favorable trade balance.
By 1835, as many as 12million
Chinese were addicted
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The Qing emperor was angry about the drug trade coming
from the British.
In 1839 the Emperor’s advisor writes a letter to Queen
Victoria demanding the drug trade stop. It doesn’t.
The Opium War breaks out between Britain and China in
1839, but is fought mainly at sea.
The Chinese are no match for Britain’s steam-powered gun
boats.
The Treaty of Nanjing is signed in 1842
 Opened up 5 ports in China to Westerners
 Britain got control of Hong Kong
 Marked the beginning of Western influence in China
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The British enjoyed extraterritorial rights,
which meant that British citizens were not
subject to Chinese laws, but, if accused of a
crime in Chinese trading ports, but would
only be tried by British courts.
Basically allowed the drug trade to continue.
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Population grew to 430 million by 1850,
a 30% increase in 60 years.
Food production did not keep up with this
increase -> lots of people starved.
Discouragement increased opium addiction
Chinese began to rebel against the Qing
Dynasty
Hong Xiuquan began recruiting followers to
help him build a “Heavenly Kingdom of Great
Peace.”
 Hong referred to himself as the “younger
brother of Jesus Christ”
 His movement was called the
Taiping Rebellion.
 2 goals:

◦ Get the poor people land
◦ Get women equal rights
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By 1850s, Hong organized a massive peasant
army and took control over large areas of
southeastern China.
1853 Hong captured Nanjing and made it his
capital.
Qing imperial troops and British and French
forces all launched attacks against the
Taiping government.
By 1864 the rebellion was put down, but at
least 20 million people died in the rebellion.
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Chinese government has both internal and
external pressures.
◦ Internal
 Taiping Rebellion and other rebellions among the
peasants
 Growing food shortages
◦ External
 Pressure from foreign imperial powers was increasing
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Debates emerged in the Qing court
◦ Some leaders wanted to reform and modernize
according to Western ways.
◦ Some clung to traditional Chinese ways
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Begin policy of “self-strengthening”
◦ China should adopt western technology but still
keep it’s Confucian values
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Foreign nations attack
China and through treaties
gain more control over
China’s economy.
Many of Europe’s major
powers and Japan gain
spheres of influence—
areas in which the foreign
nation controlled trade and
investment.
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The U.S., having no sphere of influence,
declared its Open Door Policy demanding
free trade for all nations in China.
Written by John Hay, from America
Britain and other European
nations agree to this demand.
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1898, Emperor Guangxu
introduced measures to
modernize China’s
educational system,
economy, military, and
government.
Qing officials saw these
innovations as a threat and
called on his aunt Empress
Dowager CiXi to act.
She has Guangxu arrested
and reverses his reforms.
Emperor Guangxu (center)
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Resentful of the privileges of foreigners, a
secret organization called the Society of
Righteous and Harmonious Fists is
formed.
They are called the “Boxers” for short and
carry out a campaign against foreigners
known as the Boxer Rebellion.
1900—the Boxers descend on Beijing and
surround the European section of the city.
The Boxers murder Europeans, missionary,
and diplomats, as well as many Chinese
Christians, both Protestant and Catholic.
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August 1900—a
multinational force of
19,000 troops marches on
Beijing and defeats the
Boxers.
Though the Boxer Rebellion
failed to expel foreign
influence, the Chinese have
a renewed sense of
nationalism and realization
they must resist foreign
influence.
A Boxer during the revolt.
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1905 Dowager Empress sends out a delegation to
study the operation of different governments.
1906 officials recommend China’s government be
restructured.
A constitutional monarchy was suggested.
A national assembly was convened within a year,
but change was slow.
In 1908 the court promised a constitutional
government by 1917.
China would continue to have unrest for the next
four decades.
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Led by Sun Yat-sen
◦ He proposes a 3 step reform process for China
Step 1:
Military Takeover
Step 2: Transitional Phase
Step 3: Constitutional Democracy
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By 1905, he had united all radical groups in
China into what became known as the
Chinese Nationalist Party
In 1908, Empress Ci Xi died the day before Guang Xu died.
“Last Emperor of China” : Henry Pu Yi
In 1911, followers of Sun Yat-sen launched an uprising
that collapsed the Qing dynasty
◦ Produced no new political or social order so the military took
over the government, led by General Yuan Shigai, the
president of the new “Republic of China”
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Introduced modern transportation and
communication in China
Created an export market (oil, copper, tea,
salt, porcelain)
Brought Chinese market into the 19th century
economy