11.2 China and Imperialism

11.2 China and Imperialism

By Sean Seavers

• 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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Multiple Choice

What is the term when citizens from a foreign land that are accused of crimes in another country had the right to be tried in their home courts rather than in the foreign courts?

• Externaliality

• Exotericity

• Extrinsicity

• Extraterritoriality

• 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.​

Subject | Subject

Some text here about the topic of discussion

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.

Subject | Subject

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Poll

Do you think it was fair for the western nations to take control of China and have influence in trade and other economic areas?

• Yes, they were weak enough, why not?

• No, they have no right to go into another country and take over like they did.

• Yes, countries should be allowed to take over if it makes sense for them to

• No, the people should stop the government

• 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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Draw

Draw what you think happened during the Boxer Rebellion.

​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.​

Subject | Subject

**=relinquished the throne.

Multiple Choice

After the abdication of the emperor, China became a

• democracy

• communist society

• republic

• Confucian cult