Chapter 1 - Fall of the Qing, Warlordism and Chaos - 1900/1934 Flashcards
When was the boxer uprising
1900
When was China first ruled by an emperor and what did he have
2000 BC
Have the Mandate of Heaven
Who was Empress Dowager Cixi?
She was the empress while her nephew grew up to take over
How big was the Chinese Population in 1900 and into which ethnic groups was it split into?
300 million subjects
- Han = 90%
- Manchu
- Mongol
- Tibetan
What caused the Boxer uprising
- Emperor Guangxu tried to modernise the gov. -> his reforms were largely opposed to by his aunt (Cixi) and her supporters ended the reforms
- The Chinese hated the ‘foreign devils’
- Cixi encouraged the attacks on the foreigners to avoid criticism of imperial rule.
What reforms did Emperor Guangxu try to do in 1898
‘the hundred days reform’
What happened during the boxer uprising?
- Secret group carried attacks on foreigners.
- Boxers were mostly peasants who suffered greatly
- Uprising spread to Beijing where a German ambassador was shot
- Westerners retreated
- Cixi supported them
- An international force opposed them and many boxers were executed and the empress fled
Impact of the Boxer uprising
- Showed that the imperial house was not able to defend against foreign control
- Severe financial penalty = £67 million
- Chinese military fortifications were destroyed
- The Qing dynasty had little authority anymore - lead to the revolution of 1911 and the fall of the dynasty
Reforms 1902-11
- Assemblies with limited voting right (1909)
- New Manchu Army (1908)
- Council to advise government (1910-11)
- Abolition of foot binding (1902)
- Removal of Mandarin domination (1905)
- National railways
- Educational, naval and military reforms
1911 reform causes
- Weak government
- Failure of political reforms
- Consequences of the army reform
- The spread of revolutionary ideas
- Growing resentment of China’s controlled railways.
Why was the Weak government a cause of the 1911 reform
- 2 year old Puyi becomes emperor
- Prince (father of Puyi) tries to save the dynasty but is inexperienced and fails
- Lack of experience doesn’t push through necessary reforms
- Discontent
Why was The failure of political reforms a cause of the 1911 reform
- Too late
- Manchu domination increased Han resentment
- Little % had right to vote - 0.4%
- Didn’t feel like could trust the government
Why were the consequences of the army reform a cause of the 1911 reform
- Very expensive so taxes were increased on top of the reparation money from the Boxers
- Dismissed people like Yuan Shakai who were believed to become too powerful (could have helped)
Why were the spread of revolutionary ideas a cause of the 1911 reform
- More people educated in the West (eg. Sun Yat-Sen)
- Believed Qing Dynasty should be overthrown
- More popularity of these people amongst the young
Why was the growing resentment of China’s controlled railways a cause of the 1911 reform
- Increased nationalism
- No compensation received for given up land
- Expansion was based on foreign ideas = partners with ‘foreign devils’
