China chapter 1 Flashcards
(39 cards)
Who was in control of China in 1900?
- The Qing Dynasty was in control of China in 1900.
- The Manchus had been in power for over 300 years.
- In 1900 Emperor Guangxu ruled with the help of his Aunt Empress Dowager Cixi.
What allowed the Qings to keep control?
Confucianism kept everyone in their place.
The Emperor had the ‘Mandate of Heaven’.
Why were people unhappy with the Qing rule?
*The Hans (90%) were the majority ethnic group in China and hated being ruled by Manchus.
* The peasants made up 90% of China and lived very difficult lives.
* Foreign control of many important economic areas of China made the Emperor look weak.
(1.2) China was exploited economically by foreign powers. Who did this increase resentment towards and why?
- This increased resentment towards ‘foreigners’ and the Qings, who were seen as weak for allowing it to happen.
- The greatest resentment was directed against religious missionaries.
- These aimed to convert Chinese people from Confucianism and Buddhism to Christianity.
How did Chinese people come to view foreigners (1.2)
Chinese people came to see Westerners as ‘foreign devils’ who had to be driven out of China.
What did Emperor Guangxu try to do to ensure the survival of his country and dynasty?
He introduced significant reform across China over the period of a hundred days.
When did the 100 day reforms start?
From June 1898.
What did Empress Cixi do when the 100 day reforms were announced?
- Cixi didn’t like the idea of reforms and believed the way for the Qings to survive was to get rid of foreigners.
- She ordered Guangxu to abdicate, put him under house arrest and took control.
- Most of the new reforms were ended.
What did the Boxer uprising try to achieve?
The Boxer Uprising was an unsuccessful attempt to drive the ‘foreign devils’ from China. Empress Cixi supported the Boxers by ordering all foreigners killed.
Where was the boxer uprising?
Attacks started in Shandong and spread to Hebei, Shanxi, Henan and eventually Beijing.
What did the Boxers do during the uprising?
The Boxers wreaked havoc - killed Christians and burned down churches and schools.
The Westerners hid in the legation in Beijing which was sieged by the Boxers for 55 days.
How did the westerners respond to the Boxer uprising?
They sent in an international force of nearly 20,000 to Beijing in August 1900.
They were able to capture Beijing and rescue Christians and foreigners.
The empress Cixi, and her court fled to Xian dressed as peasants.
What was signed in September 1901?
Cixi left behind government officials to negotiate.
The Boxer Protocol was signed in September 1901.
China given heavy reparations (67 million) that had to be paid in full by 1939.
General Shikai and his army killed tens of thousands of suspected Boxers.
When was Cixi allowed to return to Beijing?
In 1902 Cixi returned to Beijing.
What did Empress Cixi do upon returning to Beijing?
- She introduced reform to hold onto power.
- Her reforms were influenced by the ‘Self- Strengthening Movement’.
- The Self-Strengthening Movement said that China should learn from the foreigners, to copy their sciences and technology, and to apply it in exploiting China’s resources.
- It was hoped these reforms would help re-establish Chinese power and save the Qing Dynasty.
When did Guangxu and Cixi die and who took over?
In November 1908 within a day of each other.
The new Emperor, Puyi, was just 2 years old.
Prince Chun (Guangxu’s brother) ruled as regent and continued Cixi’s reforms.
Prince Chun was not a strong or experienced leader.
What were the causes of the 1911 revolution?
- Economic
- Social
- Political
- Military
How did economic problems cause the 1911 revolution?
- Corruption in the government. To make money the Qings sold government posts. These corrupt government officials squeezed money from the common people through taxes.
- Cixi’s reforms were expensive. Chun increased taxes on tea, wine, salt and land. These were on top of the taxes for the reparations owed after the Boxer Uprising.
Powerful and corrupt landlords made peasants pay the taxes instead which caused rebellions. - Nationalisation of the railways made the former owners angry because they were not compensated. This anger was increased when the Qings borrowed money from
foreigners to pay for expansion and gave them special concessions. It looked as if the Qings were partners with the ‘foreign devils’.
How did social problems cause the 1911 revolution?
- The Qings (Manchus) believed themselves to be racially and culturally superior to the Hans.
- Factory workers had very long hours, harsh discipline and poor safety. Peasants who made up
90% of China lived hard lives under the control of landlords. - Natural disasters meant that famine and disease were common.
- By 1900 a nationalist movement had arisen among the educated Chinese. They believed reforms were needed in China and believed that for this to happen they needed to get rid of foreigners and Qings.
- They were angry when the ‘Hundred Days’ reform laws were scrapped by Empress Cixi.
How did political problems cause the 1911 revolution?
- After the death of Cixi in 1908, two year old Puyi became Emperor but could not govern.
- The regent Prince Chun was weak and inexperienced. This seemed to symbolise the weakness of the Qing dynasty.
- Cixi’s reforms backfired. Nationalisation of railways angered owners, educating people increased support for reform.
- The Manchus dominated the National Consultative Council which increased Han resentment. Still only 0.4% of people could vote.
- Sun Yat-sen founded the Tongmenghui (Chinese Revolutionary Alliance) in 1905 which aimed to overthrow the Qing dynasty and get rid of foreign influence. It had thousands of members and had taken part in several uprisings by 1911.
How did military problems cause the 1911 revolution?
- The Qings had two military forces to protect them: the Manchu Eight-Banner Forces and the Chinese Green Standard Army. By the 19th century, all these troops were no longer effective due to low pay, corruption and lack of cooperation.
- Wars and ‘unequal treaties’ with foreign powers damaged the Chinese economy. Not only did China have to pay high reparations to foreigners but foreign control of ports made imported goods cheaper than Chinese goods.
- As part of Cixi’s reforms the Qings created a new army (led by Yuan Shikai) which was better trained and equipped than the other imperial armies. The soldiers in this army were educated and keen for China to reform. This meant that many of them sympathised with the revolutionaries
When was the Wuchang Revolt?
The Wuchang Revolt was also known as the Double-Tenth Revolution and was an uprising planned by revolutionaries for 16 October 1911. However actually ended up taking place on the 10th.
Why did the Wuchang revolution have to be on the 10th instead of the 16th of October?
On 9 Oct 1911, an unfinished bomb being prepared by revolutionaries accidentally exploded in the city of Hankou. To save themselves, the revolutionaries carried out the uprising earlier. Thus, an uprising took place in Wuchang on 10 October 1911.
It was unplanned and disorganised.
In what ways did the Double tenth revolution succeed.
- 15 provinces (2/3 of China) declared independence.
- The Qing court recalled Yuan Shikai to suppress the revolution because of his military power.
- When the revolution started he betrayed the Qings and made a deal with the revolutionaries for him to get rid of the Qings and become President.
