The Meiji Restoration Concession, Prefecture Have on Japan? 2
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
East Asia Under Challenge 1800–1914 Key Events As you read this chapter, look for the key events in the development of East Asia. • Western nations used political persuasion and military strength to gain trading privileges with China and Japan. • China’s internal problems made it easier for Western nations to penetrate the country and strengthen their influence. • Japan’s ability to adopt Western ways and to maintain its own traditions enabled it to develop into a modern, powerful nation. The Impact Today The events that occurred during this time period still impact our lives today. • The issues raised by the Opium War continue to be addressed, since drug addiction is still a major international problem. • Japan has one of the world’s largest industrialized, free-market economies. • China’s large market continues to attract Western business and trade. World History Video The Chapter 22 video, “The Russo-Japanese War,” chronicles the conflict between Russia and Japan. Chinese workers pack tea for export. 1854 Treaty of Kanagawa 1860 initiates United Europeans seize States–Japanese Chinese capital relations of Beijing 1830 1840 1850 1860 1870 1841 1842 1868 British Treaty of Nanjing Meiji forces seize establishes trade Restoration island of between China and begins Hong Kong Great Britain 680 A British steamship attacks Chinese naval forces off the coast of China during the Opium War. Sun Yat-sen 1905 HISTORY Sun Yat-sen forms 1911 Revolutionary Chinese revolution Alliance in China starts Chapter Overview Visit the Glencoe World History Web site at 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 tx.wh.glencoe.com and click on Chapter 22–Chapter Overview to preview chapter information. c. 1900 1910 Japan’s Japan annexes industrial Korea sector begins to grow Meiji-era train depot 681 The Summer Palace in Beijing today Palace interior Looting of the Summer Palace ike the countries of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa, the nations of East Asia faced a growing chal- Llenge from the power of the West in the nineteenth century. Why It Matters In China, Westerners used their military superiority to pur- The events of 1860 were part of a sue their goals. regular pattern in East Asia in the In 1860, for example, Great Britain and France decided to nineteenth century. Backed by Euro- retaliate against the Chinese, who had tried to restrict British pean guns, European merchants and French activities. In July, combined British and French and missionaries pressed for the forces arrived on the outskirts of Beijing. There, they came right to carry out their activities in upon the Old Summer Palace of the Chinese emperors. The China and Japan. The Chinese and soldiers were astounded by the riches they beheld and could Japanese resisted but were eventu- not resist the desire to steal them. ally forced to open their doors to Beginning on October 6, British and French troops moved the foreigners. Unlike other Asian through the palace. They took anything that looked valuable societies, however, both Japan and China were able to maintain their and smashed what they could not cart away. One British national independence. observer wrote, “You would see several officers and men of all ranks with their heads and hands brushing and knocking History and You International together in the same box.” In another room, he said, “a scram- contact continues to shrink differ- ble was going on over a collection of handsome state robes . ences among nations. Using the others would be amusing themselves by taking shots at information in this chapter and out- chandeliers.” side research, create a chart com- Lord Elgin, leader of the British forces in China, soon paring the development of the United States and Japan during the restored order. After the Chinese took hostage and then mur- twentieth century. Include data on dered some 20 British and French soldiers, however, Lord material goods as well as economic, Elgin ordered the Old Summer Palace to be burned. Intimi- political, or social trends. dated, the Chinese government agreed to Western demands. 682 The Decline of the Qing Dynasty Guide to Reading Main Ideas People to Identify Reading Strategy • The Qing dynasty declined because of Hong Xiuquan, Guang Xu, Empress Compare and Contrast Create a internal and external pressures. Dowager Ci Xi, John Hay chart comparing and contrasting the • Western nations increased their eco- Tai Ping and Boxer Rebellions. nomic involvement with China. Places to Locate Guangzhou, Chang Jiang, Hong Kong Tai Ping Boxer Key Terms Reforms extraterritoriality, self-strengthening, Preview Questions Demanded 1. What internal problems led to the spheres of influence, indemnity Methods Used decline of the Qing dynasty? to Obtain 2. What role did Western nations play Reforms in the Qing dynasty’s decline? Outcomes Preview of Events ✦1840 ✦1850 ✦1860 ✦1870 ✦1880 ✦1890 ✦1900 1839 1850 1898 1900 Opium War Tai Ping Rebellion Ci Xi opposes Boxer Rebellion begins begins reforms defeated Voices from the Past In the second half of the nineteenth century, calls for political reform were heard in China. However, a leading court official, Zhang Zhidong, argued: The doctrine of people’s rights will bring us not a single benefit but a hundred evils.“ Are we going to establish a parliament? Among the Chinese scholars and people there are still many today who are content to be vulgar and rustic. They are ignorant of the general situation in the world, they do not understand the basic system of the state. They have not the most elementary idea about foreign countries. Even supposing the confused and clamorous people are assembled in one house, for every one of them who is clear-sighted, there will be a hundred others whose vision is clouded; they will converse at random and talk as if in a dream—what use will Nobleman, Qing dynasty it be?” —China’s Response to the West: A Documentary Survey, 1839–1923, Ssu-yu Teng and John K. Fairbank, eds., 1970 Zhang’s view prevailed, and no reforms were enacted. Causes of Decline In 1800, after a long period of peace and prosperity, the Qing dynasty of the Manchus was at the height of its power. A little over a century later, however, humiliated and harassed by the Western powers, the Qing dynasty collapsed. CHAPTER 22 East Asia Under Challenge 683 One important reason for the abrupt decline and The British also had an unfavorable trade balance fall of the Qing dynasty was the intense external in China. That is, they imported more goods from pressure applied to Chinese society by the modern China than they exported to China. For years, Britain West. However, internal changes also played a role in had imported tea, silk, and porcelain from the Chi- the dynasty’s collapse. nese and sent Indian cotton to China to pay for these After an extended period of growth, the Qing imports. The cotton, however, did not cover the dynasty began to suffer from corruption, peasant entire debt, and the British were forced to pay for unrest, and incompetence. These weaknesses were their imports with silver. The British sent increasing made worse by rapid growth in the country’s popu- quantities of silver to China, especially in exchange lation. By 1900, there were 400 million people in for tea, which was in great demand by the British. China. Population growth created a serious food At first, the British tried to negotiate with the Chi- shortage. In the 1850s, one observer wrote, “Not a nese to improve the trade imbalance. When negotia- year passes in which a terrific number of persons do tions failed, the British turned to trading opium. not perish of famine in some part or other of China.” Opium was grown in northern India under the The ships, guns, and ideas of foreigners high- sponsorship of the British East India Company and lighted the growing weakness of the Qing dynasty then shipped directly to Chinese markets. Demand and probably hastened its end. for opium—a highly addictive drug—in South China jumped dramatically. Soon, silver was flowing Reading Check Examining What factors led to the out of China and into the pockets of the officials of decline of the Qing dynasty? the British East India Company. The Chinese reacted strongly. The British were not The Opium War the first to import opium into China. The Chinese By 1800, Europeans had been in contact with government had already seen opium’s dangerous China for more than two hundred years. European qualities, and had made its trade illegal. They merchants, however, were restricted to a small trad- appealed to the British government on moral ing outlet at Guangzhou (GWONG•JO), or Canton. grounds to stop the traffic in opium. A government The British did not like this arrangement. official wrote to Queen Victoria: “Suppose there were Qing Empire, 1911 °N Chinese sphere of influence, 1860 0 Qing Empire, 1911 5 Sakhalin 0 1,000 miles °N 0 4 0 1,000 kilometers RUSSIAN Two-Point Equidistant projection EMPIRE Vladivostok MANCHURIA The Manchus created a KAZAKHSTAN Sea of JAPAN Aral Japan large empire called the Qing Sea MONGOLIA °N 0 Empire. Beijing KOREA 3 Jap. 1. Interpreting Maps e H East What geographic factors Hindu CHINA g an China Hu OF limited the expansion of Kush Nanjing Sea IC ng OP ER TIBET Jia TR C g AN the Qing Empire? . H C °N an 0 R I M h 2 s C du A LA 2. Applying Geography In YA TAIWAN G NEPAL Guangzhou Jap. Skills After looking at a Pacific nges R. BHUTAN this map, what conclu- Ocean BURMA South sions can you draw N INDIA M PHILIPPINES U.K.