Opium Wars were two trading wars in the mid-19th century in which western nations gained commercial privileges in China.
Internationally, these wars changed China’s position in the world. Before the failure of these wars, China was at the center of the world economy as Europeans and Americans sought Chinese goods. Under the influence of the Confucianism for thousands of years, China viewed itself as “the Center of Civilization” and carried out the Tribute System towards other countries who wanted to trade with it. The results of these two wars were that China was forced to sign a series of unequal treaties, which made China cede territory to the UK, pay a great amount of reparations, and opened 16 treaty ports and so on. China gradually became a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society and its international status was severely threatened. These wars also mean the end of the Tribute System.
Meiji Restoration was a series of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under the Meiji Emperor. It brought about the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate and returned control of the country to direct imperial rule under the emperor Meiji and the beginning of Meiji Period. This revolution contributed to the build of a successful modern nation-state, the rapid modernization and westernization of Japan and also it meant the origin of Japan’s economic growth.
Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) was the conflict between Japan and China. It marked the emergence of Japan as a major world power and demonstrated the weakness of the Chinese empire. China was forced to sign for the unequal treaty- the Treaty of Shimonoseki, ceded the territory, paid a large amount of reparation to Japan and so on. This war deepened the semi-colonization and semi-feudalism of Chinese society. It was also the first step of Japan’s Imperialist Expansion. Japan used the reparation from China to develop its own economics, and became one of imperialist powers soon.
Boxer Uprising refers to a violent anti-foreign and anti-Christian movement happened in China between 1899 to 1901. The group who practiced certain boxing and calisthenic rituals and was in the belief that this made them invulnerable initiated this uprising. It was motivated by proto-nationalist sentiments and opposition to foreign imperialism and Christianity. The uprising finally evolved into international military conflict- Allied Intervation. Eight allied armies used putting down the movement as an excuse, invaded China and then forced China to sign for the “Boxer Protocol.” Since then, China totally became the semi-colonial and semi-feudal country and the Qing Government has become a tool for foreign powers to control China.
The May Fourth Movement was an anti-imperialist, cultural, political, and patriotic mind emancipation movement growing out of student demonstration in Beijing on May 4th, 1919. It protested the Chinese government’s weak response to the Treaty of Versailles, especially allowing Japan to retain territories in Shandong which had been surrendered by Germany after the Siege of Tsingtao. For China, these demonstrations sparked national protests and marked the upsurge of Chinese nationalism. The movement also spurred the successful reorganization of the Nationalist Party, later ruled by Chiang Kai-shek, and stimulated the birth of the Chinese Communist Party as well. For Japan, the Anti-Japanese demonstration like the boycott of Japanese goods in China, made the conflict between these two countries more intense.
Manchuria Incident of September 18th, 1931, occurred in southern Manchuria when a section of railroad, owned by Japan’s South Manchuria Railway, near Mukden was dynamited by Japanese junior officers. Imperial Japan’s military accused Chinese dissidents of the act, thus providing a pretext for the Japanese occupation of Manchuria. The incident represented the beginning of the Japanese imperialist’s invasion in to China and an early event in the Second Sino-Japanese War, although full-scale war would not start until 1937.
Regional Order/Structure in Asia
Before the failure of Opium Wars, the regional order in Asia was that China was the supreme power and Japan was a tribute-bearing subordinate power. Through the 1700s, China’s imperial system flourished under the Qing dynasty. China was at the center of the world economy as Europeans and Americans sought Chinese goods.
In the early 19th century, China simultaneously experienced major internal strains and Western imperialist pressure, backed by military might, which China could not match. China’s position in the world and self-image was reversed in a mere 100 year period (1840-1940) from leading civilization to subjected and torn country.
The Japanese witness China’s experience with the military power of Western nations, and after the arrival of an American delegation in Japan in 1853, Japan was also forced to open its ports. Japan was able to adapt rapidly to match the power of West and soon established itself as a competitor with the Western powers for colonial rights in Asia.
In the mid-20th century, due to a series of reasons like national survival, security, and economic need, Japan started the imperialist expansion to China. After its defeat in the war, Korea became a divided nation, the capitalist South supported by the US and its Western allies and the communist North an ally of the Soviet Union, and thus the Cold War descended on East Asia.
