Imperialism in China: The Opium Wars & Boxer

RebellionGo to my website and open the file

“China Imperialism Notes”.Add these notes to the unit 4 notes

AND imperialism in India notes

Imperialism in China

n China refused to adapt to Western Culturen History of isolation

n Isolated by jungles, mountains and desert

Imperialism in Chinan Believed they were self-sufficient

n Had little interest or desire to trade with the WestnEuropeans nations saw the market potential of

China (435 million people)nHmm…

nWhat would the Chinese people be willing to trade for?

nWhat product would they want that they didn’t have?nOPIUM

The Opium Warsn Opium was used recreationally in China starting in the

15th Centuryn Opium was prohibited in 1729

n British start to smuggle opium from India into China

The Opium Wars

n By 1835, 12 million people were addicted to opium

The Opium Wars

n Emperor Daoguang orders British shipments of opium be confiscated and destroyedn During one seizure of British cargo

n20,000 chests of opium were destroyednEach chest was worth $1,000

nIn 2007 dollars that’s about $300,000,000

The Opium Warsn Britain attacks coastal Chinese cities to start the war in

October of 1839n Battles took place mostly at sean Outdated Chinese ships were no match for the

modern steam-powered gunboats of the British

The Opium Warsn The Treaty of Nanjing

n China had to pay reparationsn All Chinese ports were opened to the Britishn Britain gained control of Hong Kong (Restored to

China in 1997)n Extraterritoriality Ü British & other foreigners were

not subject to Chinese law in 5 major port cities of China

Sphere of Influence/Open Door Policy

n Other foreign nations sign treaties unfair to Chinan Each nation gets a “sphere of influence”

nSphere of Influence Ü an area in which a foreign nation controlled trade & investment

n In 1899 the United States proposes the Open Door PolicynOpen Door Policy Ü China’s doors (ports) be

open to merchants of all nationsn In exchange China would not be colonized

Sphere of Influence/Open Door Policy

Many Chineseresented

the growingforeign

influence intheir

homeland.

A Chinese group, known as the “Boxers", arose in rebellion in an attempt to

driveout all foreignersfrom China. The

“Boxers” belonged to a secret society known as

the “Righteous and Harmonious

Fists.”

Hundreds of foreigners were killed byangry mobs during the Boxer Rebellion.

The Chinese government secretlysupported the Boxers.

An international police force, composedof troops from imperialist powers, finally

crushed the Boxer Rebellion.

The European imperial powers werenot prepared to depart from China

and its profitable trade.

Even though the Boxer Rebellionwas crushed, it served to

encourage Chinese nationalism

Chinese nationalists would continueto fight against European domination

of China and eventually were successful in kicking out European imperialists.

.