Shadows over the Pacific
CHAPTER 21
SHADOWS OVER THE PACIFIC:
EAST ASIA UNDER CHALLENGE
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CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. The Decline of the Manchus A. Opium and Rebellion 1. In 1800, the Qing dynasty was at the height of its power a. Peace, prosperity, secure borders, cultural accomplishments b. But peasant unrest, corruption, royal incompetence c. Population growth, to 400 million by 1900 2. West/Britain frustrated with limitations on trade a. British desire for Chinese tea created a balance of payments problem b. Solution was to ship Indian opium to China c. Commercial profits trumped moral concerns 3. The Opium War (1839-1842) a. Superiority of British arms and tactics b. Treaty of Nanjing (1842) opened five coastal ports and granted the British extraterritoriality, China paid an indemnity and ceded Hong Kong to British c. A turning point in Qing decline? 4. The Taiping Rebellion a. Hong Xiuquan, a Chinese “Christian” (Jesus’ younger brother) 1) Wanted to create a “Heavenly Kingdom of Supreme Peace” b. Other causes, including peasant unrest and decline in government services c. Hong captured Nanjing in 1853, but rebellion finally put down in 1864 5. British and French capture Beijing and burn the summer palace a. Treaty of Tianjin meant more concessions by the Qing B. Efforts at Reform 1. Self-strengthening: adopt Western technology but maintain Confucian principles and institutions, or “East for Essence, West for Practical Use” a. No representative government or democracy 2. The Climax of Imperialism a. Spheres of influence established in China 1) Germany seize Shandong province in 1897 b. China was defeated Sino-Japanese War (1894) over control of Korea c. Kang Youwei and Emperor Guangxu launched the One Hundred Days of reform in 1898 1)
SHADOWS OVER THE PACIFIC:
EAST ASIA UNDER CHALLENGE
____________________________________________
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I. The Decline of the Manchus A. Opium and Rebellion 1. In 1800, the Qing dynasty was at the height of its power a. Peace, prosperity, secure borders, cultural accomplishments b. But peasant unrest, corruption, royal incompetence c. Population growth, to 400 million by 1900 2. West/Britain frustrated with limitations on trade a. British desire for Chinese tea created a balance of payments problem b. Solution was to ship Indian opium to China c. Commercial profits trumped moral concerns 3. The Opium War (1839-1842) a. Superiority of British arms and tactics b. Treaty of Nanjing (1842) opened five coastal ports and granted the British extraterritoriality, China paid an indemnity and ceded Hong Kong to British c. A turning point in Qing decline? 4. The Taiping Rebellion a. Hong Xiuquan, a Chinese “Christian” (Jesus’ younger brother) 1) Wanted to create a “Heavenly Kingdom of Supreme Peace” b. Other causes, including peasant unrest and decline in government services c. Hong captured Nanjing in 1853, but rebellion finally put down in 1864 5. British and French capture Beijing and burn the summer palace a. Treaty of Tianjin meant more concessions by the Qing B. Efforts at Reform 1. Self-strengthening: adopt Western technology but maintain Confucian principles and institutions, or “East for Essence, West for Practical Use” a. No representative government or democracy 2. The Climax of Imperialism a. Spheres of influence established in China 1) Germany seize Shandong province in 1897 b. China was defeated Sino-Japanese War (1894) over control of Korea c. Kang Youwei and Emperor Guangxu launched the One Hundred Days of reform in 1898 1)