Causes of Decline Pressure from the West and corruption, government incompetence, and peasant unrest from within led to the decline of the Qing dynasty.
Causes of Decline (cont.) • Western powers wanted China to loosen trade restrictions that limited trade to the port at Guangzhou . • To compensate for Britain’s unfavorable trade balance, the British began trading opium. Opium Imported Into China
Causes of Decline (cont.) • The Chinese retaliated with a blockade on Guangzhou, sparking the Opium War. • The British navy quickly defeated the Chinese by sailing up the Chang Jiang to Nanjing.
Causes of Decline (cont.) • In the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842, the Chinese agreed to: – Open five coastal ports – Limit taxes on British imports – Pay for the cost of the war – Give Hong Kong to Great Britain – Allow Westerners living in China the right of extraterritoriality
Causes of Decline (cont.) • The Qing dynasty began to suffer from corruption, peasant unrest, and incompetence. Population growth created a food shortage and many people died of starvation. • Hong Xiuquan led a peasant revolt called the Tai Ping Rebellion (1850 – 1864).
Causes of Decline (cont.) • The Qing dynasty was in decline and called for reforms under a new policy called “ self- strengthening .” • The Chinese government wanted to adopt Western technology but keep Confucian values. It modernized the military and built up industries while keeping the culture.
The Advance of Imperialism Western nations and Japan set up spheres of influence in China to gain exclusive trading rights.
The Advance of Imperialism (cont.) • Between 1886 and 1985, France, Russia, and Great Britain seized land throughout East Asia. • European states began creating spheres of influence throughout China’s heartland by negotiating with warlords for exclusive trading rights and railroad and mining privileges. Spheres of Influence in China, 1900
The Advance of Imperialism (cont.) • The Chinese lost control of many territories: – Russia forced China to give up territories in Siberia. – Tibet became independent from Chinese influence. – The Japanese gained the island of Taiwan. – Germany demanded territories in the Shandong Peninsula.
The Advance of Imperialism (cont.) • The emperor Guang Xu called for One Hundred Days of Reform. Guang Xu wanted to base the Chinese government, education system, and military on Western models. • Many conservatives opposed the reforms, including Empress Dowager Ci Xi , who became a dominant force at court. • Ci Xi and the imperial army imprisoned the emperor and exiled, prosecuted, or imprisoned supporters of the reforms.
The Advance of Imperialism (cont.) • The reforms were met with limited support because of the following weaknesses: – Damaged careers of many scholars – Neglected agriculture – Focused too heavily on the elite classes – Could not end foreign influence
Responses to Imperialism The United States proposed an Open Door policy to guarantee it would have equal trading rights with European countries in China.
Responses to Imperialism (cont.) • In 1899 the U.S. secretary of state, John Hay , wrote notes to Britain, Russia, Germany, France, Italy, and Japan asking each country to respect equal trading rights in China. • There was no opposition to Hay’s proposal, leading to establishment of the Open Door policy .
Responses to Imperialism (cont.) • The Open Door policy reduced trade restrictions and foreign influences. • The policy also eased fears throughout the Western nations that one country would obtain overwhelming influence throughout China.
Responses to Imperialism (cont.) • A secret organization called the Society of Harmonious Fists formed in opposition to foreign influence in China and initiated the Boxer Rebellion. • The Boxers began killing foreigners, including Western businessmen, and Christian missionaries and converts.
Responses to Imperialism (cont.) • An allied army formed in retaliation and crushed the rebellion and demanded more concessions from the Chinese government, including a heavy indemnity .
The Fall of the Qing Sun Yat-sen led a successful revolution to end the Qing dynasty, but he was unable to establish a stable government.
The Fall of the Qing (cont.) • After the Boxer Rebellion, Empress Dowager Ci Xi implemented numerous reforms in an attempt to hold onto power, including the formation of legislative assemblies at the provincial level. • Sun Yat-sen believed the Qing dynasty could no longer govern China.
The Fall of the Qing (cont.) • Sun Yat-sen formed the Revive China Society and a three-stage reform process: – Military takeover – Transitional phase preparing people for democracy – Establishment of a constitutional democracy
The Fall of the Qing (cont.) • After the death of the Empress, the infant Henry Pu Yi became China’s last emperor. • In 1911, the followers of Sun Yat-sen revolted and the Qing dynasty collapsed. Fall of the Qing Empire
The Fall of the Qing (cont.) • The Nationalist party lacked political and military power and was forced to allow General Yuan Shigai , a member of the old order, to serve as president. • Yuan did not have much support. The reformers did not like his traditional, dictatorial manner of ruling and supporters of the Qing dynasty viewed him as a traitor.
The Fall of the Qing (cont.) • Yuan dissolved the parliament, sparking a rebellion led by the Nationalists. The Nationalists fled to Japan after the rebellion failed. • After Yuan’s death, China experienced several years of civil war.
Cultural Changes Western culture had a dramatic effect on many Chinese people, especially those living in cities.
Cultural Changes (cont.) • Western culture in China was most evident in the cities, where a national market for commodities such as oil, salt, copper, tea, and porcelain appeared. • Westernization affected China in three ways: – Introduced modern means of transportation – Created an export market – Integrated the Chinese market into the world market
Cultural Changes (cont.) • Imperialism also had negative effects. – China depended on the West. – Many Chinese were exploited, and local industries were destroyed. – Profits went to foreign countries rather than to the Chinese economy.
Cultural Changes (cont.) • After World War I, foreign investment drawn out of China, enabling Chinese businesspeople to develop new ventures. • Modern cities such as Shanghai , Wuhan , Tianjin and Guangzhou became major industrial and commercial centers. • In the rural areas, life remained largely unchanged. Traditional jobs and family roles remained the same.
Cultural Changes (cont.) • The cities experienced the most change, with Western cultural influence at it strongest and Confucian social ideas on the decline. • The culture began to truly change when intellectuals introduced Western books, art, music, and ideas to China. • Conservatives remained loyal to traditional culture, clashing with radical reformers who wanted it eliminated.
Japan Changes Direction During the Meiji Era: 1868 - 1912 • Commodore Matthew Perry
Japan Responds to Foreign Pressure Under military pressure from the United States, Japan signed the Treaty of Kanagawa, which opened two ports to Western trade.
Japan Responds to Foreign Pressure (cont.) • Ruling for 200 years, the Tokugawa shogunate kept relations with outside countries at a minimum and carried on a policy of isolationism. • Western nations wanted Japan to open their ports to trade. • U.S. President Millard Fillmore sent Commodore Matthew Perry to Japan.
Japan Responds to Foreign Pressure (cont.) • Concessions were made by shogunate officials, and they signed the Treaty of Kanagawa with the United States. • The Treaty approved: – The return of shipwrecked American sailors – The opening of two ports to Western traders – The establishment of a U.S. diplomat in Japan
Japan Responds to Foreign Pressure (cont.) • Other European nations forced Japan to sign similar treaties. • A group of samurai warriors called the Sat-Cho opposed opening foreign relations with the West and forced the shogun to promise to end foreign relations. • The Sat- Cho attacked the shogun’s palace at Ky ō to , resulting in the collapse of the shogunate system and the beginning of the Meiji Restoration.
The Meiji Restoration The Meiji government attempted to modernize Japan’s political, economic, and social structures.
The Meiji Restoration (cont.) • The young emperor, Mutsuhito , called his reign the Meiji, meaning “Enlightened Rule.” • The Sat-Cho held the real power and moved the capital from Ky ō to to Edo . • The new leaders stripped the daimyo of their land and created prefectures .
The Meiji Restoration (cont.) • Ito Hirobumi led a commission that traveled to many Western countries to study their governments. • The result was a political system modeled after Imperial Germany. It was democratic in form, but authoritarian in practice.
• What Did the U. S. Want?? More trading partners. A haven for ship-wrecked sailors.
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