11.2 China and Imperialism

• Chinese Rulers believed the outside world to be barbaric

• When tea became popular in Britain, British silver flowed into China and created a trade imbalance.

• The British had a solution-opium.

  • They smuggled it in and made a huge profit.​

• ​China wanted the opium destroyed so Britain sent their navy to launch an attack.

• This led to the Treaty of Nanjing.

  • It opened five more ports to Western trade.​

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Soon all the major nations would come to trade with China.

The Opium War

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• Because the western powers came to trade with China, many Chinese believed the dynasty lost the "mandate of heaven."

  • The belief that the dynasty was given their power by their god.

• Hong Xiuquan led a group and wanted to create a "Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace" ​where no one would be poor.

• Hong and his followers captured the city of Nanjing.

• The British and French attacked them and defeated them in 1864.​

• More than 20 million Chinese died.​

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The Taiping Rebellion

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Foreign Influence Takes Hold

• A movement by the Qing to make changes (build coal mines, factories, etc.) ultimately failed.

• Because China had a weak military, Western powers (Germany, Russia, Great Britain, France) carved spheres of influence in China.

• The U.S. was afraid the European countries would take too much influence and they would lose out on trade with China.

• They sent John Hay to propose the "Open Door Policy".

  • This would allow free trade in the Chinese ports under European control, allowing the U.S. to trade.

  • The result was that all ports were opened for free trade to all countries.​

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Foreign Influence Takes Hold

• Because of the state that China was in, the Chinese emperor decided to enact new reforms

  • changing the civil service examinations and building a modern army.

• Empress Cixi stopped the reforms because it "threatened the rule of the Qing Dynasty."

• The Chinese who wanted the reforms wanted the end of the Qing Dynasty.

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• China's humiliation led to nationalist rebellions

• The most notable was the Boxer Rebellion in 1899.

• The Boxers combined martial arts training, hatred for foreigners, and a belief they were invulnerable to western weapons.

• The Rebellion began when the group attacked missionaries and Christian converts.

• They laid seige to foreign com​pounds and held hostages for 55 days.

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• ​A foreign army of 20,000 troops came in ended the uprising.

The Boxer Rebellion

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​The 1911 Revolution

• The Qing officials enacted reforms after the Boxer Rebellion but it was too little, too late.

  • Many Chinese called for the overthrow of the Qing dynasty.

• Sun Yixian was the leader who ​believed in three basic principles:

  • Nationalism, democracy, and "people's livelihood."

• He claimed China was not ready for a democracy but believed it needed one.​

• In October 1911, a group of young officers led a revolt in the city of Wuchang.

  • In Jan. 1912, they declared a republic.

• The Qing engaged in peace talks, the emperor abdicated**, and Yuan Shikai became the first president of the new Republic of China.​

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**=relinquished the throne.