The Significant Cause Of The Boxer Rebellion And An Anti-Boxer Rebellion

Western incursion into China and Japan is a key factor as to how these countries developed economically and socially. While China and Japan were trying to get on their feet and figure out the standards in which to run their countries, the West was escalating in both power and ambitions. The escalation meant growth in European fire arm power which allowed the European countries to make their way into China and Japan without China and Japan being able to stop them because they were not as strong at this point. However, China and Japan both responded to European influence in very different ways. Under the influence of Western imperialism, China was hindered in the process of structural change and industrialization in their society, where as,

After the war, internal conflicts emerged. In 1899, the Boxer Rebellion started with the opposition to foreign spheres of influence. They were angry about the missionaries, and legalization of opium. The Boxers massacred Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox missionaries everywhere and their leader called for a brutal anti Christian policy. But soon, the Great Powers came in the way and defeated them. This event only made the spheres more powerful. Then in 1901, the Boxer Protocol was announced and its intent was to execute

A second point to be mentioned is the Spheres of Influence, which were predetermined after the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing and the Treaty of Tientsin. A Sphere of Influence is considered a region where a separate state has a tight grasp over the other country’s political, economical, and social standpoints. Being a form of colonization, the countries that created the spheres were Britain, France, Germany, Russia and Japan. As a result, the angry and disgusted China organized the Taiping Rebellion. Then, the United States issued the Open Door Policy, where the weakened China would be forced to open trading ports with most European countries and the United States. This plan failed and only enraged the Chinese. In an attempt to rebel and finally be set free, China created the Boxer Rebellion. Marking feelings of intense hate, hostility, and patriotism, the Chinese attempted to rid their country of foreigners. At its end, the Boxer Rebellion depicted the Chinese’s true feelings and hostility at their breaking point. It required force of British, French, Russian, American, German and Japanese troops to finally finish it off.

The Chinese had many reasons to fear and ultimately reject the Westerners. The first anti-Christian movement was in 1616-1621 in Nanjing. This revolt was started by Shen

In the debate, one side claims that the Boxer Rebellion was fueled by a large drought, which the boxers claimed was being invoked by the Christians. The other side of the debate says that the rebellion was mainly fueled by the fear and hatred of foreigners, especially christians. The people who claim the drought have a valid point, because in the places where the rebellion was the bloodiest, were also the areas where the drought was the worst. However, the people who say that it was mainly foreign hate, reminding the opposition that people in 1900’s were sophisticated enough to not truthfully blame natural phenomenons on witchcraft.

This had led to British completely outmuscling the Chinese with their far superior technology, as well as forcing the Chinese into a treaty that opened up numerous ports in China, allowed Westerners to move to China, as well as pay reparations to the British. This utter defeat showed the Chinese that they needed to adapt, and our second document, a map forecasting the partition of China amongst various nations, showed them that they needed to make those changes quick. All of this led to arguments between groups who felt China needed to self-strengthen and those who feared the increasing influence of Western ideals that could be brought on by learning more about the West in order to better defend against it. This is shown in our third document on self-strengtheners, such as Feng Guifen who argues for youths to be taught in Western languages and sciences in order to best defend against them. This document shows further the nationalism within China, as well as the importance of traditions, ideals, and values, as both sides argue their points based on protecting them from Western

The first cause for the Boxer Rebellion, was the anti-foreign stance in China. As a result of suffering humiliating defeats in both the first, and second Opium wars, China was forced to grant concessions to foreigners. Furthermore, they had to sign the “unequal treaties” which allowed the West to gain a significant amount of control over China. This left the Chinese population poverty-stricken, and angry at foreign powers. The economy became disrupted by the arrival of modernity and industrialism. According to historian David Silbey “Many Chinese worked in industries that were disrupted by the arrival of the railroad and the telegraph. There was a sense that China’s balance had been thrown out of whack by these modern innovations, and only by destroying the innovations and the foreigners who brought them could the balance be restored.”. The Chinese regarded the West as “foreign devils”, and wished to retain sovereignty and independence. They were extremely nationalistic. Mark Twain addressed the boxer rebellion in 1900.

China before the 1800s was very isolated. The West comes in and gains control by selling Opium to the Chinese for tea and silk. This was nowhere fair, eventually, China wanted to ban this trade that led to war. The Royal Navy’s modernized ships versus poor china’s unadvanced ships, I wonder who won. China was forced into the world of modernization. The British came in and reshaped China like it was clay, with no regard to the natives. This eventually leads to some failed rebellions. These past three examples are how western modernization helped or ruined countries, and that it isn't always black and

In 1900, a few internal events taken place in China threatened the idea of the Open Door Policy. Boxer Rebellion was one of these events. It was an anti-foreign, anti- colonial, and anti- Christian movement that was initiated by the Militia United in Righteousness. It was associated with Christian missionary activity and motivated by proto-nationalist sentiments and opposed western

During the 1900, war broke out between China and 8 European countries. This was known as the Boxer Rebellion. Other events that occurred during this time, President McKinley of the US was assissnated as were King Umberto of Italy and Prince Ito of Janpan; the industrial revolution was in full swing throught out the world. Inventions

Opium wars-Opium Wars is two wars that between china and Britain over the endeavors of the Chinese government to stop the increase of foreign created opium imported by Britain. California Gold rush-fast inundation of fortune searchers in California that started after gold was found at Sutter's Mill in mid-1848 and its climax in 1852 Transcontinental railroad-The First Transcontinental Railroad in North America was built in the 1860s, connecting the rail route system of the East drift with California. Civil War- War between the United States of America and the Confederate States of America, the Union formed their own country to protect the institution of slavery.   Chinese immigrants- Chinese immigrants migrated to the United States in the

China experiences the pressure of the imperialist’s military which China did not have the knowledge or the experience to match. China went from a superior leader, self-sufficient country, that thought that everyone else were barbarians to a torn country. China accepted foreign trade, but they wanted to control and limit how much and with who the trade was used for, they felt that they European trade was unnecessary. They did not allow the western merchants to have any power or privileges and restricted them to Canton, plus they refused to open their trade system beyond Co-Hong which caused china to not become as prosperous as Japan. (Valentini 2013) Because China the believed that they were the center of civilization and that the Western culture was inferior the Chinese government refused to go along with any of the European’s request and the two nations became hostile towards

After the first Sino-British War, China was forced to accept the western influence and later then the Taiping movement accelerated the progress of China’s modern history and promoted the Westernization movement.

The 19th century had sparked a time period of bloody revolution, social and political reform, and both economic and financial problems for China. Though the cause of many of these problems could be rooted to internal conflict, foreign influence on Chinese ways proved to be disastrous. During the early 19th century the population was growing, the economy seemed stable and generally people seemed content with China’s economic progress. However these feelings of success would soon end as overpopulation would cause widespread poverty and famine. At that point in time China’s rulers had been Manchu; the Qing dynasty had been in rule but even its

China came to realise that it was no longer at the centre of the world after being invaded multiple times by ‘barbarians’ from the outside who were stronger and possessed an intimidatingly sturdy culture and religion which threatened the Chinese culture and world order (Zhimin, 2005:38). China felt threatened and took to nationalism as a non-Chinese solution to the survival of China (Zhimin, 2005:38). However, “Chinese nationalism was a modern idea, seeping in from Europe. It was bolstered by the resentment of European imperialists, with their own ignorant and ruthless