Land Empires: China from 1750 to 1870

Jul 13, 2024

Topic 7.2: Land Empires 1750 to 1870: China

Qing Dynasty's Initial Stance on Trade

  • After gaining control, Qing Dynasty rejected further Western trade attempts
  • Allowed only one trading port per foreign market
  • 1793: Emperor Qianlong's declaration rejecting foreign goods
  • By 1912: Collapse of China’s Imperial State

Causes of Qing Dynasty's Decline

  1. Population Growth:
    • 1685: Population was 100 Million
    • 1853: Population grew to 430 Million
    • Unlike Europe, no industrialization or new agricultural techniques
    • Resulted in famine and unrest
  2. Qing Expansion vs European Empires:
    • Qing expansion did not generate similar wealth/resources
    • Led to land pressure, unemployment, poverty, and starvation
  3. Failure of Centralized State:
    • Inefficient state functions like tax collection, flood control, and social welfare
    • Power lost to provincial officials and local aristocrats
  4. European Military and Economic Pressure:
    • Increasing problem, no successful combat strategies

The Opium Trade and Wars

  • Britain's trade deficit with China due to high demand for Chinese goods
  • Solution: Exporting opium to China
  • Opium production from poppies; highly addictive drug
  • British profitable market
    • Late 1700s: British ships begin opium trade
    • 1830s: Massive imports of opium (25,000 chests annually)
    • Social consequences: widespread addiction, destabilization of society
  • Chinese Government's Response:
    • Banned use and importation; difficulty enforcing ban
    • 1839: Seized 2.6 million pounds of British opium, no compensation
    • Result: First Opium War (1839–1841)
      • British naval superiority, Chinese defeat
      • Treaty of Nanking: Large concessions to Britain
    • 1850s: Second Opium War (1856–1860)
      • Allied with USA and France
      • Treaty of Tianjin: Further humiliations for China

Taiping Rebellion

  • Peasant rebellion triggered by starvation and government inaction
  • Led by Hong Zhu Kuan
    • Rejected traditional Chinese culture for a unique Christianity
    • Aim: Abolition of private property, industrialization, moral renewal
    • Anti-opium, promoted education, women’s equality
  • Resulted in internal conflict, massive death toll (20-30 million)

Foreign Influence and Spheres of Influence

  • Post-Second Opium War
    • China's ports opened to foreign trade, opium importation legalized
    • Removal of restrictions on Christianity and foreign travel
  • Establishment of foreign diplomatic compounds in Beijing
  • End 19th century: Division of China into foreign-controlled regions
    • Britain's, France’s, Germany’s, Russia’s, and Japan’s spheres of influence
    • Functioned like a colony despite Qing sovereignty
    • Predictions of potential disintegration into colonies

Summary of Qing Dynasty's End

  • By the end of the 19th century, China:
    • Divided, exploited by foreign interests
    • Plagued by corrupt officials
    • Qing ruled with weak political will, authority, and military strength to respond to challenges