Decline of the Qing Dynasty Essay

The Decline of the Qing Dynasty In 1636, the Manchus founded the Qing Dynasty. However, the Ming Dynasty still held the Mandate of Heaven until 1644 when the Ming Dynasty “lost power through military force” and the Mandate of Heaven was passed to the Qing Dynasty (Essentials of Modern Chinese History 2). The Qing Dynasty continued the policies of the Ming Dynasty with minor changes. The Qing lasted for 268 years and was the last dynasty ruled by a sovereign king (http://www.learn.columbia.edu/nanxuntu/start.html). The Qing Empire feared western influence, but eventually collapsed due to corruption of its own government, numerous internal pressures, and the devastating Taiping Rebellion. The Qing government became progressively corrupt based on their unfair tax methods, gift giving practices, and government favoritism. The Chinese tax system was primarily run by the “land tax” to generate most of the government’s income. However, the “Chinese population and economy grew rapidly” which meant “that the Machu’s ability to extract revenue through mandated taxes declined in per capita”. Since the ability to extract revenue through mandated taxes declined, the emperors concentrated more on “diverting” the revenue to Beijing and ignored the needs of the local governments. Local governments had increased demands because the growth of population, but their revenue was less. Also, local governments were “left to their own devices” if a disaster occurred. China’s wealth was unevenly distributed which conjured “provincial divisions and impeded the development of a sense of nation or of the greater common good above the local level” (Elleman 101). The local loyalties of the provinces created tension and did not unite China as a nation. Another factor contributing to the government’s corruption was the guanxi system. This system entailed the “inferiors giving gifts to superiors with the expectation of future benefits” (Elleman 101). The Chinese custom of gift-giving was a