...Boxer Rebellion: Seeds of Revolution For many years, the Christian people have tried to spread their religion to different people as well as different parts of the world. In the late 1890s, a group of missionaries went to China in hope to gain more Christian followers. Man Chinese people had not welcomed those foreigners, but shunned what they had brought with them. Foreign influences were not accepted by the majority as, in the past, foreigners had only brought destruction and chaos. Missionaries gradually gained their Chinese followers, but, nevertheless, there was danger stirring amidst them. The I Ho Ch'uan (The Righteous and Harmonious Fists) also known as “Boxers” had started their rebellion against their foreign enemies. Many of these people were in poverty, but felt they could make a change in their country, thus studying a new form of fighting. These Boxers were fighting against foreigners and Christian Chinese to remove the foreign influence. In June 1900, missionaries and Chinese Rebels were throwing their lives on the line for what they believed...
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... China’s Emperors were viewed as being granted or ‘Mandated from Heaven’. This was a position of supreme power and religious importance in the ruling of China. This view changed over time as European Imperialism undermined the Chinese culture. This happened through commercial trade (opium trading led to 2 major wars), the internal ‘Taiping Rebellion’, and the ‘Boxer Rebellion’ of 1900. Unfair treaties with foreign powers led to crime, unemployment and poverty – causing the Chinese to lose confidence in their Emperor. All these factors ultimately led to the Emperor’s loss of power – the Emperor ultimately losing the mandate from heaven. The Qing dynasty could not resolve its many problems, and the 2000 year old imperial...
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...– THE BOXER REBELLION INTRODUCTION The Boxer Uprising and Rebellion in 1901 further weakened an already destabilised Qing Government and was a key component in governmental change. After the first Opium war with Great Britain from 1839- 1842, China was coming under an increase in pressure from various foreign powers. Following the war, foreigners were given the rights to control trade, collect customs money and run the courts in dozens of Chinese cities, called ‘Treaty Ports’. China had suffered the violation of the powers, although once it was suddenly made clear that the country was defenceless against modern military organisation and weapons, this encroachment was flung into a scramble for concessions. This scramble intensified the already present Chinese hatred of the foreigner. Hong Kong was given to the British in 1842, Indochina was taken by the French in 1884, and Taiwan was taken by Japan in 1894 following their war success over China. Germany and Russia also started to gain influence throughout China (Salem Press, 1992). The Qing government, also known as the Ch’ing government, was heavily manipulated by the West. This led to the distrust and lack of support by the Chinese public – severely weakening the government. The Boxer Uprising and Rebellion during 1901 was a pivotal point in the eventual destruction and downfall of the Qing by Sun Yat-Sen and the formal abdication of the last emperor Puyi in 1912 (Szczepanski, 2013). CONTEXT OF THE REBELLION Throughout...
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...historical events the Boxer Rebellion has been studied, and numerous historians have determined varied events that can be successfully chosen as the cause of the peasant uprising in China in the late 19th and early 20th century. Some historians believe the Boxer Rebellion was caused by environmental factors, while other lean towards causes that do not reflect those factors. After substantial research and thought, the historical controversy can be answered by evidence that the rebellion was generated from the result of the drought in the Northern plains of Chinese territory. To determine this conclusion two qualified authors of this topic had been chosen to research, which include...
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...Context - China The Qing dynasty, also notorious as the Qing Empire, was the last imperial dynasty of China, established in 1636 and ruling China from 1644 to 1912. Preceded by the Ming dynasty and succeeded by the Republic of China, this multi-cultural empire lasted nearly three eras and molded the provincial base for modern Chinese era. One may ask, “How did China come to be, from many foreign influences on to the Boxer Rebellion.” According to Chinese Confucian tradition, every ruler’s right to the throne has come from the “Mandate of Heaven,” an honor bestowed by the divinities. The belief of judging another culture solely by the values and ethics of one's own culture placed the emperor as a revolving figure to the Chinese. These ideals also characterized neighboring lands as being inhabited by foreigners or “barbarians,” people who were less civilized and egocentric of themselves. Additionally, afore western influences in Asia, the Chinese had conquered the region through their “tributary system,” a system which kept smaller neighboring “tributary states” (Vietnam, Korea, Japan, and many others) as vassals to the emperors of China, pledged and sworn to it. As a result, trade rights with and protection from the Chinese were offered in return. Nevertheless, tributary...
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...Simpson 1 Antonio Simpson U.S History 12/9/12 During the late 1800’s the United States wanted to increase it’s power and influence in the world. The way they did this was through Imperialism, a strong nation taking over another nation by economic or military means. There were several factors driving America’s imperialist efforts. A thirst for new markets, military interests, and to spread their ideology were some of those reasons. Of all these, their economic interests was the motivating factor in the United States intervening in Cuba, Hawaii, and creating the Open Door Policy. Theodore Roosevelt took over the lead note in pursuing imperialism. Bully Pulpit is a way Theodore Roosevelt used presidency to influence legislation and laws. The square deal is a program designed to protect the common people against big business. The Panama Canal was apart of this because Theodore Roosevelt gave $20 million dollars to Panama but the people of Panama disagreed. The United States wanted to spread their capitalism and market. The United States used imperialism to gain control of Panama from the French. The American-Spanish war started when the USS Maine explosion killed over 1000 americans, but the explosion was accident in the boiler room in the ship, the country believed it was a Spanish sabotage. President William McKinley reacted by demanding that among other things Spain give Cuba its independence but Spain did not comply. When McKinley approached Congress to declare war against...
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...Before the 1800’s, China regarded itself as the center of the universe. They controlled most of the Indian Ocean by running trade systems with foreigners. Zheng He was one of the most prominent, powerful “explorers”. Zheng was a Muslim who led seven voyages throughout the Indian Ocean expeditions between 1405 and 1433. He practically isn’t recognized as an “explorer” because he was completely aware of the ocean before his trip; he simply voyaged around the area to trade. China that time didn’t necessarily need anything outside of the country; they possessed nearly everything. They mainly wanted dominant prestige and respect. On the contrary, the foreigners favored China’s tea, silk, spices, and goods; these countries wanted more money and mercantilism. If, however, these countries wanted to obtain the rights of trading with China, they had to engage in a Kowtow where the foreigners were to supply China with gifts and goods to gain the authorization of trade. The trades with foreigners, mainly located in Canton, was flowing well for China until the British East India Company intervened. The only goods China favored brought by the British were silver and opium. Eventually opium was traded far more frequently than anything...
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...Assessment 06.08 19th Century Changes: Module Project Haitian Revolution From 1791-1804 Haitian slaves, led by Toussaint l ‘Overture, attacked wealthy whites. The main cause for the Haitian revolution was the philosophies of the enlightment in that “all men were considered brothers”, the French revolution had a psychological influence suggesting that if the French could rebel against illegitimate rule so could the Haitians. This is considered the most successful slave rebellion in history. Industrialization in Britain Between 1750 and 1850, the UK experienced the first industrial revolution. The UK changed from mostly agricultural to industrial. The industrial revolution occurred first in Britain because they had resources such as, coal,...
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...Christians. The Boxer Rebellion was an uprising of the Righteous Harmony Society against the West in northern China between 1898 and 1901. The Boxers began as an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist peasant based movement. It is also said to be a religious revolution against national corruption in the form of foreign missionaries, soldiers, and diplomats, as well as native Christians. Reforms were implemented after the crisis in 1900, which laid the foundation for the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Chinese Republic. In this article, we see that the author demonstrates that this event can be split into that of true history and myth. History in three keys is a work written about the point of view of its author, but not always portrayed in a factual sense. Cohen’s view in the article follows the categories of event, experience, and myth. Historical retelling is in constant tension with two other more influential ways of knowing the past - experience and myth. History retells itself through the accounts of historians with those of participants and witnesses; and sets these perspectives against the range of popular myths that were fashioned about the Boxers. One part tells the Boxer rebellion as recreated by historians. The next explores the feelings and behavior of the direct participants in the Boxer experience who understood what was actually happening to them at the time unlike historians. Lastly, Cohen studies the myths surrounding the uprising in China and moreover...
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...The Boxer Uprising (1898-1901), also known as ‘Yi Ho Tuan’ Movement, was a major peasant uprising marked by anti-Manchu and anti-foreign sentiments. In the period after the Opium Wars, the nature of Sino-Western relations had changed, leading to a scramble for concessions. This had exposed the inefficacy of the Manchus. Simultaneously, it had intensified the socio-economic crisis already prevalent in the 19th century. This essay attempts to analyze the causes, nature and impact of the Boxer Movement. Causes 1. A study of the traditional Chinese society and economy is imperative to trace the origins of the Uprising. The Chinese society was strictly compartmentalized by the principles of Confucianism. The society was highly stratified and had a rigid and inflexible hierarchical structure. A unique combination of power, wealth and knowledge defined the gentry or the elite class. The peasantry was the ‘exploited’ class, the taxpayers, who despite the theoretical emphasis on ‘career open to merit’ could rarely attain gentry status. The growing tax burden and exploitation caused discontent among them and though they remained placid, the simmering of discontent was always there. However, peasant uprisings, though a frequent occurrence, were spontaneous and scattered and so easy to suppress. The growing unrest culminated into agitation, and found expression in the Boxer Movement. 2. A series of natural calamities in the late 19th century intensified the discontent...
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...Qing period, imperial China reached its zenith of power and influence. The Qing dynasty lasted for almost 300 years, extended China’s borders farther than they had ever been before, and perfected the Chinese imperial system. After flourishing in the 18th century, it fell apart in the 19th. Like many complicated systems, it grew brittle and inflexible. It could not adjust as new problems arose. Bad harvests, warfare, rebellions, overpopulation, economic disasters, and foreign imperialism contributed to the dynasty’s collapse. One reason for the decline of the Qing Dynasty was that the rulers were actually Manchus and instituted many things in China which the Han people did not agree with - one was the practice of shaving the head but leaving the sides and a long tail required for all males - this practice was brought to China by the Manchus and the Han people saw it as an emblem of their domination by non-domestic rulers. Opium was also a major reason for the fall of the Qing Dynasty. Opium is a drug found in the Opium Poppy Plant and contains the major ingredient in heroin. The British were in possession of a very potent strain of Opium and illegally sold it to China. This cause most people in China to get addicted to Opium. This was detrimental to Chinese society because since everyone was always high on Opium nothing got done in China. Also when China refused to legally trade Opium with the British the British used this as a reason to invade China, resulting in the Opium...
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...3) So, though their goals may differ, the historian and the filmmaker must both make this important choice. This is easily observable within the mythologization of the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 and how a history colored by these interpretations reflects itself in Nicholas Ray’s 1963 film 55 Days at Peking. Though its inclusions, omissions, and areas of focus, the film contributes to history in and of itself by allowing us to analyze the viewpoint it encompasses. Because the film is presented from the perspective of the Great Powers, we first observe the point of view and portrayal of the Boxers to create a complete picture of events. Their experiences are almost completely ignored, for the only interactions the characters have with the Boxers apart from trying to repel their assault is at the beginning when a Boxer is torturing an Englishman for reasons never articulated. (Ray 2-3:00) The Boxer shamelessly attempts to extort Charlton Heston’s character and resorts to violence when this attempt is unsuccessful. The implications of such needless greed and cruelty are clear, (that the Boxers delight in violence against foreigners for its own sake) but their motivations are alluded to elsewhere in the film. When the British foreign minister attempts to negotiate with the Empress Dowager, she remarks that the Boxer response is an understandable one to the foreign occupation of...
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...Date (CE) | Description of the event | Significance of the event | 1850 | -Taiping Rebellion-this was against the Manchu which was ruling the Qing Dynasty | -one of the bloodiest military conflicts in history-20 million people died, especially pedestrians | 1 August 1894 | -First sino-japanese war-this war was against China and Japan over the control of Korea -in the first six months China kept on losing which made them call for peace in February 1895 | -Intensification of imperialism -China was seen as weak so many Europeans started to partition China and take land from them which led further on to the Boxer revolution | June 1900 | -Boxer Rebellion to foreign powers and imperialism-Boxers gathered in Beijing protesting against Christianity and their act of taking land under the influence of the church | -Opened the Europeans eyes and saw that China was not as weak and fragile as they thought which made them rethink themselves | October 10, 1911 | -The Manchu Dynasty was overthrown and a republic was created.-Government lost control of the military and many provinces became independent of Beijing | -the key causes of this event would be significant causes for the Civil War that would start 15 years later: imperialism, anti-foreign attitudes, and the central government’s weakness | February 1912 | -Yuan Shikai assumed the role of president.-he was able to achieve so from the role of premier he had during the Qing dynasty and the fact that people in the south recognized...
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...China and Japan Respond to the West Source Analysis Questions Directions: Using the China and Japan Response to Westernization Source Packet, answer the following questions about each of the documents. The first 5 documents are due on Monday 2/8. The second set are due on Friday 2/12. Document 1: Key Information: Opium Wars British East India Company sold Opium China began to loose power Opium is a drug: causes numbness, yellow skin, addiction. Theatrical Poster (advertise): Man lying on cushion and smoking opium. Messy at Opium Joint. Exaggeration of what is really happening. Point of View: Western - American Bias? Who?: Yes. Against Chinese. All Chinese people are high on opium. This poster is about a big problem among some Chinese immigrants...
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...The United States used several methods to gain control in foreign countries. For example, in Japan, the United States used the threat of military force—Commodore Perry's fleet of battleships in Edo Bay—to convince the Japanese government to agree to trade concessions. In Hawaii, Americans moved to the islands, started businesses, and gradually took over the economy. American residents created and controlled a legislature in Hawaii, and when Queen Liliuokalani tried to eliminate American influence in her nation's government, the Americans used military force and political maneuvering to defeat her and her supporters. Eventually the islands were annexed to the United States. Cuba and the Philippines were quite different situations. Following...
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