China Resists Outside Influence

China was Self-Sufficient• Looked down on foreigners• Not impressed w/Western tech• China was self-sufficient (farming, mining &

manufacturing industries created jobs)

Trade with China• Only one port open to foreigners,

closely monitored by gov’t• Balance of trade was in China’s favor –

Chinese exported (sold) more goods than they imported (bought).– Goods such as porcelain, silk

• The British especially wanted Chinese tea.

Tea-Opium Connection• British needed to find Western

product that the Chinese desired to trade for…– this product was opium, a habit-forming

narcotic.

• The British smuggled opium into China– by 1835 more than 12 million Chinese

were addicted to the drug.

Opium comes from the

poppy-plant

Opium War• Qing emperor wrote the British Queen

requesting a stop to the opium trade.• Britain refused to stop trading opium,

which led to the Opium War between Britain and China.

Qing v. Queen Victoria“By what right do they [British merchants]

then in return use the poisonous drug to injure the Chinese people?...Let us ask, where is your conscience? I have heard that the smoking of opium is very strictly forbidden by your country; that is because the harm caused by opium is clearly understood. Since it is not permitted to do harm to your own country, then even less should you let it be passed on to the harm of other countries - how much less to China!"

~Lin Zexu, advisor to emperor

Results of the Opium War• Britain’s advanced navy crushed

China’s outdated ships. • China was forced to sign a peace treaty,

the Treaty of Nanjing, which gave Britain the island of Hong Kong.

• Another treaty gave foreign citizens “extraterritorial rights”, meaning they were not subject to Chinese law at the ports where trading occurred.

• These “extraterritorial rights” led to resentment towards foreigners and the opium trade.

Results of the Opium War

China’s Internal Problems• China’s HUGE population was outgrowing

the food supply, and hunger was becoming widespread.

• Opium addiction continued to rise. • The Chinese people began to rebel against

the Qing Dynasty.

Taiping Rebellion• Hong Xiugquan (Hong Shee-oo-choo-ahn)

recruited followers to build a “Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace.”

• Goal - all people would share China’s immense wealth and no one would be poor.

Taiping Rebellion• In this Taiping (means great peace)

Rebellion, Hong’s peasant army captured the city of Nanjing.

• Hong made Nanjing his capital, but stepped back – other leaders quarreled

• British, French, and Qing troops launched attacks and brought down the Taiping government.RESULT = Loss of authority for Chinese

government (had to rely on foreign intervention)

Taiping Rebellion• The leaders of new Taiping government

quarreled with one another.• British, French, and Qing troops launched

attacks and brought down the Taiping government.RESULT = Loss of authority for Chinese government

(had to rely on foreign intervention)

• About 20 million people died in the rebellion.

Foreign Influence Grows• External pressure on China from foreign

powers was increasing. • Some officials wanted reform (to be like

the West), while others clung to traditional ways.

China Struggles to Change• Dowager Empress Cixi (tsoo-shee) was

committed to tradition, but was open to some reforms.

• She wanted to self-strengthen China by improving education, diplomatic service, and military.

China Struggles to Change • Factories were created to manufacture

steam-powered gunboats, rifles, and ammunition.

• Many were not happy about these reforms.

First Shanghai train

Open Door Policy• Foreign nations took advantage of China’s

vulnerability and set up spheres of influence to increase their control over China’s economy.

• The U.S. worried that other nations would soon divide China into colonies and prevent them from trading with the Chinese

Open Door Policy• The U.S. declared an Open Door Policy,

which opened China’s trade to all nations.• The Open Door Policy protected the U.S.’s

trading rights with China, and China’s freedom from colonization.

Chinese Nationalism• Many Chinese pressed for stronger reforms.• Emperor Guangxu (Gwahng-shoo) wanted to

modernize China, but Qing officials saw his reforms as threats to their power.

• The Qing officials brought Dowager Empress back to the throne and she reversed any of Guangxu’s reforms.

The Boxer Rebellion• Widespread frustration over

extraterritorial rights & Dowager Empress’ rule led to violence.

• Poor peasants and workers resented the special privileges given to foreigners, as well as Chinese Christians who adopted a foreign faith.

The Boxer Rebellion• A secret organization was formed, known as the

“Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists” or “Boxers”

• Their campaign against the Dowager Empress and foreign privileges was called the Boxer Rebellion

• The Boxers marched on Beijing shouting “Death to the foreign devils!”

The Boxer Rebellion• A multinational force

quelled the revolt within months.

• A strong sense of nationalism grew out of the rebellion.

• The Chinese people believed their country needed to resist foreign intervention and that the government must be more responsive to the

people’s needs.

China’s Reform• In 1905, Dowager Empress sent Chinese officials

around the world to study governments. • They recommended that China restructure its

government like the constitutional monarchy of Japan.

• A national assembly was convened and stated that by 1917, China would be a full constitutional government.

• However, China still experiencedunrest for several more decades.

Japan Modernizes

Japan in the Early 17th Century

• Japan had shut itself off from other nations.

• Tokugawa society was a rigidly structured feudal society, in which shoguns gave land to lords, to be worked by peasants and protected by samurai.

Japan Ends it Isolation• Japan kept rejecting foreign requests to

trade.• U.S. President Fillmore sent letter asking for

free trade• In 1853, U.S. Commodore Perry used ships

with cannons and rifles to threaten Japan if they did not sign a treaty.

• Under the terms of the Treaty of Kanagawa, Japan opened two ports to the U.S.

Japan Ends it Isolation• Once the U.S. had its foot in Japan’s door,

other Western powers soon followed. • By 1860, Japan permitted foreigners to

trade at treaty ports and granted extraterritorial rights.

End of the Tokugawa Shogunate

• People were angry that the shogun had given in to foreign demands.

• The people urged the young emperor to force the shogun to step down

• Emperor Mutsuhito established a new government, the Meiji era (means enlightened rule) which lasted for 45 years.

Meiji Restoration• Mutsuhito wanted Japan to adopt modern

ways.1) End of feudalism2) Adopted Western styles of gov’t (constitution)3) Further discipline in their army and navy 4) Adopted universal public

education5) Industrialized (railroad line, factories for tea & silk, ship and weapon production)

Growth of Japan’s Empire• Japan sought to eliminate rights of foreigners

by assuring that foreigners would be treated fairly in Japan; Western nations were convinced to drop extraterritorial rights.

• Japan saw building an empire as a way to protect its security and strengthen its economy.

• National pride played a major role in their desire to imperialize.

Growth of Japan’s Empire• War with China over interests in Korea = Sino-

Japanese War• Japan sent troops into Korea and won• Japan received Taiwan and Pescadores Islands

Growth of Japan’s Empire• Japan went to war w/Russia over Manchuria• Japan agreed to recognize Russia’s rights in

Manchuria if Russians stayed out of Korea. • Russia refused, to Japan launched surprise

attack, beginning the Russo-Japanese War.

Growth of Japan’s Empire• Japan achieved victory and the Treaty of

Portsmouth (1905) gave Japan the captured territories. Russians were forced out of Manchuria and Korea.

Japan & Korea

• Japan occupies Korea & harshly treats its people– Shut down Korean newspapers– Took over Korean schools (no Korean

language or history taught)– Took land away from Korean farmers

• Resentment of Japan’s repressive rule created strong Korean nationalist movement