1) China’s attitude toward trade with the West (Europe, U.S.) during the 1800’s:

- NO interest- China was self sufficient- regarded western goods as inferior & frivolous- they were very ethnocentric (“looked down on

all foreigners”)

2) 19th century Chinese economy based on:

AGRICULTURE (pre-industrial!) (makes sense w/ 430 million people to feed)

Also: some mining, plus manufacture of silks, porcelain, rugs

3) Britain finds a way to expand trade with China:

Smuggles* in OPIUM... a narcotic drug that gets millions of Chinese addicted, opening up the Chinese market to Britain (and, later, other western nations).

* ILLEGAL: opium is banned from consumption & distribution in China AND Britain

Then: British grow poppy plants in India, which are then distilled into opium for export to China.

Today: Afghanistan [illegally] grows 90% of the world's poppy plants, distilled into heroin... Helps ($$$) farmers and terrorists / religious extremists.

Poppy Plant:

4) Chinese reaction to British opium smuggling:

Short-term: Petition (formal request) to Queen Victoria to stop!

(Chinese demand that Britain put respect for their laws ahead of British greed... warns that penalty for future smugglers is beheading or hanging)

petititon is ignored by Queen Victoria (WHY?)...

Long-term: [First] Opium War begins(Chinese blockade their trading ports, confiscate & destroy opium... British declare this an act of piracy (!) and send warships)

5) Chinese lose Opium Wars, overpowered by superior industrial military might of British.

6) Outcomes of the Opium War:

An imperialistic treaty! (Treaty of Nanjing) - Britain gains control and access to more

Chinese ports (i.e. Hong Kong)- Britain guaranteed extraterritorial rights (ability to ignore Chinese law IN China!)- MORE opium is brought into China (hurting

Chinese society)- Trading rights favor British (hurting Chinese

economy)- China forced to compensate British smugglers

for destroyed opium!

7) Weaknesses of the 19th century Chinese government:

- Population growth exploded, while at the same time…

- Food production plummeted, resulting in famine

- Also: the Chinese economy was weakened by the Opium War and resulting imperial treaties- The Chinese monarchy became more

corrupt... was no longer seen as legitimate by much of the Chinese population

... what's on the horizon?

8) Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864)

- A peasant revolt against the Chinese monarchy in response to growing problems (Q. #7).

- Captured & controlled large sections of southeastern China.

- Led by Hong, a self-proclaimed prophet “sent by god” to restore political, economic, social, and religious balance to China

Outcome:

- Fails from infighting, incompetence, and organized resistance by Chinese government forces assisted by British and French troops.

- At least 20 million (!) deaths.

9) Sphere of Influence (review!):

Any area in which a foreign nation controls the economy (i.e trade, investment, business).

... often uses forced “treaties”, to give the appearance of “legitimacy”

… indirect imperialism

10) Spheres of Influence

in China:

- Britain

- France

- Germany

- Russia

- Japan

11) U.S. reponse to European spheres of influence in China:

- U.S. also wants access to Chinese markets!

- Doesn't want Europe to have a trading advantage

- Successfully promotes the OPEN DOOR POLICY:

China should be open to [forced] trading with ALL interested [industrial] nations.

European nations agree:

- Avoids war between industrial nations

- Avoids costs of colonization (direct imperialism)- Market is large enough to accommodate everyone

12) Chinese monarchy’s choice as imperialism worsens: MODERNIZE or MAINTAIN TRADITIONS?

- Young Emperor wants to modernize (industrialize!).- Older government officials (and Empress) resist

change, seeing it as a threat to their power; they instead reinforce older, traditional economic, political, and social structures (i.e. agriculture, monarchy, and peasant society).Result: - Reforms are reversed, young emperor was arrested, and Empress supports older officials to maintain

traditional Chinese culture, pride, and ethnocentrism.- A non-industrial China falls further behind the West, to be further victimized by imperialism.- China maintains self-perception (not reality) of cultural

superiority (won’t industrialize until the late 1970’s!)

13) Chinese people react to ongoing imperialism:NATIONALIST RESISTANCE, the BOXER REBELLION

Boxers = militant Chinese nationalists wishing to expel “foreign devils” from China (esp. Christians!)

14) OUTCOME of the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901):

- Short-term: Boxers are defeated by a multinational imperial force (to keep China’s doors “open”)

- Long-term: Chinese nationalism remains strong (ultimately resulting in a future civil war… and Communist Revolution!)