Consequences

Question 1

Intro - Argument Two: Fall of the Qing and Chinese nationalism

Answer 1

The first Opium War of 1839-1842 is a defining moment in Chinese history, a direct short term consequence of the war is the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing that would begin the Century of Humiliation for China

Question 2

Intro 2 - Long Term Consequence

Answer 2

The Fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912 is a long-term consequence of the war, rebellion and a growing sense of Chinese nationalism occurred after the war

Question 3

Intro 3 - Chinese Nationalism

Answer 3

The fall of the Qing Dynasty was the most significant consequence of this war, it was the first steps towards modern China today, Chinese nationalism was important to affect revolutionary change and shows how important this event and this consequence was and still is today

Question 4

Context 1 - Battles

Answer 4

The war was a series of military and naval battles between Qing and British, British seized key strategic ports, rivers and trading posts to cut the supply of Chinese resources

Question 5

Context 2 - Yangtze

Answer 5

British targeted Yangtze river which was “like a throat, at which the whole situation of the country is determined,” Yilibu, viceroy of Nanking

Question 6

Context 3 - British Technology

Answer 6

British Navy utilised superior ships and weapons to defeat Chinese in a devastating manner. 69 British casualties and 451 wounded, 20,000 – 25,000 Chinese casualties

Question 7

Context 4 - Treaty of Nanking

Answer 7

August 1842 Qing officials had to submit to peace terms under the threat of gunboat diplomacy, signed the Treaty of Nanking, the first unequal treaty which signaled the start of the century of humiliation for China.

Question 8

Short Term Consequence 1 - Nanjing Treaty

Answer 8

A direct consequence of the War is the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing on 29 August 1842, the first unequal treaty signed over the next century that would impact China’s economic and political power

Question 9

Short Term Consequence 2 - Canton Trade System

Answer 9

Nanjing treaty abolished Canton trade system and opened 4 new trading ports and removed regulations designed to keep out foreign influence

Question 10

Short Term Consequence 3 - Most Favoured Nation Status

Answer 10

Reparations were 21 million dollars which weakened the Qing economy, subsequent treaties by the British, USA and French further enhanced the foreign rights and granted these Western nations ‘most favoured Nation Status’ which removed China’s sovereignty

Question 11

Short Term Consequence 4 - Treaty Significance

Answer 11

The Qing Dynasty failed to understand the significance of the Treaty of Nanjing, They did not realise that it would set a precedent for relations with other western nations in the 19th C

Question 12

Short Term Consequence 5 - Unequal Treaties

Answer 12

21 unequal treaties imposed by Western powers between 1839-1933 under the threat of ‘gunboat diplomacy’, China’s failure to enforce treaty terms resulted in further conflict, including the Second Opium War 1856-60

Question 13

Short Term Consequence 6 - Century of Humiliation

Answer 13

Treaty of Nanjing not only important for socio-economic impacts but also signaled beginning of ‘Century of Humiliation’ for China, a term used to define the period of Western Powers subduing China

Question 14

Short Term Consequence 7 - Historical Narrative

Answer 14

Century of humiliation powerful historical narrative, unequal treaties play a central role showing the trauma of China’s colonial past. The political power of historical narratives to build national unity is demonstrated here

Question 15

Short Term Consequence 8 - Present Day

Answer 15

The relationship between the past and present is needed to understand the Treaty of Nanjing and China’s perspective towards the West today. The current CCP political party uses the Century of Humiliation to justify China’s policies today

Question 16

Short Term Consequence 9 - Declining Dynasty

Answer 16

Treaty era weakened the Qing Dynasty, but it can be argued the ultimate fall of the Qing is more important, unequal treaties after wars hastened the fall of the declining Qing empire. The Qing had lost the ‘mandate of heaven’ and revolution was inevitable after the wars.

Question 17

Long Term Consequence 1 - Qing Dynasty

Answer 17

A long term consequence of the First Opium War is the fall of the Qing Dynasty. Pressure from the West after the war made the internal Chinese crisis worse. Rebellions and a growing sense of nationalism increased, leading to the 1911 Xinhai Revolution which signalled the fall of the Qing

Question 18

Long Term Consequences 3 - Western Ideas

Answer 18

Western ideas spread through China, challenging traditional social structures and Confucian ideas. This caused rebellion amongst the peasants, affecting the Confucius order that had maintained loyalty to the Qing emperor

Question 18

Long Term Consequence 2 - Qing Power

Answer 18

Peasant uprisings before the war were brutally suppressed by the Qing, after the war, the unequal treaties and large reparations weakened the Qing

Question 19

Long Term Consequences 3 - Taiping Rebellion

Answer 19

An example of rebellion is the Taiping Rebellion of 1850 - 1864. Hong Xiuquan fought over inequalities, leading a revolt against the Qing dynasty and Manchu officials. This led to the deaths of 20 million people, and the Taiping rebels seized the city of Nanjing for a decade

Question 20

Long Term Consequences 4 - Nationalism

Answer 20

80% of land was held by 10% of Manchu government officials which united the Han against the corruption of the Qing, which also prepared the Han to unite against Western influence

Question 21

Long Term Consequences 5 - Boxer Rebellion

Answer 21

The Boxer Rebellion of 1899 - 1901 was against Western influence and Christian missionaries, it saw the Qing lose their “Mandate of Heaven.”, the Manchu government were harsh to their own people, but went easy on foreign powers, which resulted in them being heavily punished for supporting the Boxer Protocol, further reducing their authority

Question 22

Long Term Consequences 6 - Fall of Qing Dynasty

Answer 22

For the next decade nationalists staged further revolutions which ultimately lead to the 1911 Revolution. The fall of the Qing Dynasty is the most significant consequence of the first Opium War. These rebellions ended over 2000 years of dynastic rule and saw the rise of a new Nationalist Chinese Republic

Question 23

Long Term Consequences 7 - Benjamin Schwartz

Answer 23

Benjamin Schwartz says the defeat by the British in 1842 represents a large shift in Chinese culture, from old culturalism to a new nationalism which ultimately led to the end of imperial China and the change to modern China

Question 24

Analysis 1 - Interrelated Consequences

Answer 24

These consequences were related and complex, the unequal treaties era and the fall of the Qing dynasty are intertwined and each consequence holds great significance

Question 25

Analysis 2 - Fall of the Qing Dynasty

Answer 25

The fall of the Qing Dynasty is the most significant consequence due to the impact it had on all of Asia as many tributary states were left without a higher authority, civilians fled China during the civil war and the Warlord during the Chinese Republic (1912 - 1949)

Question 26

Analysis 3 - Opium War

Answer 26

The first Opium War was an important moment of change in China’s political history, some say that foreign influences during the treaty era were required for the fall of the Qing

Question 27

Analysis 4 - Paul A. Cohen

Answer 27

A new Chinese culture was created through the rebellions, Historian Paul A. Cohen says “the Western impact, at least in nineteenth-century China, was overstated (and misstated) by an earlier generation of historians.”, this supports the argument that while Western ideas allowed China to break down traditional structures, ultimately this emergence of nationalism was uniquely Chinese

Question 28

Analysis 5 - Nationalist Path

Answer 28

The significance of the fall of the Qing is that it allowed the Han to forge a new path, which is still being carved out today by the People’s Republic of China, which attempts to negotiate both Communist and Capitalist ideologies

Question 29

Analysis 6 - Modern Impact

Answer 29

The fall of the Qing is important as the long-term impact continues to shape modern China as well as global economies and political climates today

Question 30

Conclusion 1 - Multiple Forces

Answer 30

There were multiple historical forces at play, the unequal treaties post war helped to weaken the Qing, but more impactful was the fall of over 2000 year of imperial rule, which resulted in revolutionary movements leading to a new China

Question 31

Conclusion 2 - Revolution

Answer 31

Revolution changed China’s political, social and cultural fabric, after the first Opium War the people of China redefined their country, to rebuild and restore China and also compete in the New World Order. Revolutionary ideas against foreign rule after the war in 1842 would transform China into a republic and then the communist power it is today