What Were The Causes Of The Boxer Rebellion

The Chinese Boxer Rebellion was an extremely significant anti-cultural uprising throughout Imperial China, beginning in the Qing Dynasty (1900). The movement initiated after a gradual influence of Western and Japanese culture began to spread throughout China, altering religion, politics, and trade. Once the Chinese invasion had advanced into Peking (Beijing), citizens of China grew defiant toward Western Foreigners and Chinese Christians. Quickly, a secret organization named the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fists (also called Boxers or Yihetuan) rebelled against the potential domination. Members of the Righteous Harmony movement were anti-foreign, anti-Christian and often critical of the Qing regime for its inability to resist foreign
One of the most famous chinese battles that was waged during the Boxer Rebellion carried on from June through August 1900 - The Siege of Peking. This siege, including hundreds of thousands of rebels and foreigners, was initiated in attempt of the foreign and christian expansion throughout Peking. Lasting 55 days, the siege was finally discontinued after a powerful multi-national force of eight allied states fought against the Rebels. These eight belligerents consisted of the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, France, the United States, Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary, including over 18,000 soldiers. The objective of the force was to fight their way into the city of Peking, making it to the Legation Quarter, and rescuing the 900 foreigners besieged by the Chinese army. In an article titled Peking Relieved by Multinational Force, the relieved siege is explained, “As the foreign powers organized a multinational force to crush the rebellion, the siege of the Peking legations stretched into weeks... the diplomats, their families, and guards suffered through hunger and degrading conditions as they fought desperately to keep the Boxers at bay. Eventually, an expedition of 19,000 multinational troops pushed their way to Peking after fighting two major battles against the Boxers.”(History.com) To further describe this vast encirclement, the elongated period of captivity was unsafe for all who had been involved, primarily because the dangerous condition, but also because of the lack of resources being provided. Another quote, by Beijing’s Former Legation Quarter – Recovering the Heart of Foreign Peking by Paul French states, “The Boxers, the 55 day siege, the relief of that siege by the Eight Powers Allied Army and their subsequent looting of Peking were the great convulsive acts of 1900 that fundamentally changed the Legation Quarter. “(French). This quote