Period 5: China Flashcards
How did the first Opium War begin?
- British traders introduced opium to the Chinese in 1773 which got popular
- the Manchu emperor released an imperial edict forbidding the further sale or use of opium in 1838
- the Chinese seized British opium in Canton in 1839
- British and Chinese fought over opium trade from 1839 to 1842 known as the first Opium War
What was the Treaty of Nanjing?
- China was forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842 when British military might overwhelmed China
- first of the unequal treaties by which Britain was given considerable rights to expand trade with China
What happened after the first Opium War ended?
- Britain declared Hong Kong its own crown possession in 1843
- the Manchu dynasty was forced to permit Christian missionaries back into the country in 1844
What was the second Opium War?
- China resisted British attempts to expand the opium trade even further, leading to the second Opium War
- 1856 to 1860
- humiliating Chinese defeat
- resulted in the opening of all of China to European trade
What were the White Lotus Rebellions?
- led by Buddhists who were frustrated over taxes and government corruption
What was the Taiping Rebellion?
- the Taipings, led by a religious zealot claiming to be the brother of Jesus, recruited a large army and nearly succeeded in bringing down the Manchu government
- the rebels failed but send a strong message
What was the Self-Strengthening Movement?
- the Manchu dynasty tried to get its act together in the Self-Strengthening Movement in the 1860s but failed
What happened regardless of the Self-Strengthening Movement?
- Korea realized China was weak and declared its independence in 1876
What was the Sino-French War?
- 1883
- the Chinese lost control of Vietnam to the French who established a colony there called French Indochina
What was the Sino-Japanese War?
The Chinese were defeated in the Sino-Japanese War in 1894 when the rising imperial power of Japan wanted in on the action.
What was the Treaty of Shimonoseki?
- 1895
- China was forced to hand over control of Taiwan and grant the Japanese trading rights similar to those it had granted the Europeans
- Japan defeated the Koreans and took control of the entire peninsula
What were spheres of influence?
- areas in which the European powers invested heavily, built military bases, and set up business, transportation, and communication operations
- France, Germany, Russia, and Britain carved up slices of China for themselves by establishing spheres of influence
What was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882?
The U.S. barred the immigration of all Chinese laborers in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
What was the Open Door Policy?
The U.S. pledged its support of the sovereignty of the Chinese government through its Open Door Policy and announced equal trading privileges among all imperial powers.
What were Boxers?
- anti-Manchu, anti-European, and anti-Christian
- aka the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists
- goal was to drive the Europeans and Japanese out of China
- adopted guerilla warfare tactics
