China's imperalism
“It was China’s humiliation at the hands of the West that destroyed the Qing Regime.” How far do you agree?
The roots of the humiliation inflicted by the Western countries on China are various. The 19th century has been a period of commotion in the Chinese history, which in the end gave the possibility for its people to impose a radical change in their governing system. Before that, and before the western nations became interested in trading with China, it remained isolated from the rest of the world’s economic development. Its self-sufficiency depended on the handy production of the peasants, who represented over 90% of the total population of the country. They remained uneducated and lived in great poverty. This non-industrialised empire, ruled by the Qing Dynasty, possessed lots of natural resources, such as tea and spices, which the British Crown envied the most. In addition to this, its artisanal manufacture of porcelain and silk had made its way to the last European tendencies due to the reports of many explorers of the 17th and 18th century. This statement explains why Great Britain started importing Chinese products since the late 1750’s, which in the end turned into a real fight between the two nations.
The disastrous relationship between the foreign nations and China has led to many impacts on the nation’s pride and dignity. Some of the reasons rely on the policies imposed on the Chinese Regime by what were supposed to be “negotiated” treaties. Beneficial to the British Crown in particular, but also its European allies, these treaties had no other purpose but to weaken the Qing’s power over China. After the two Opium Wars, respectively from 1839 to 1842, and 1856 till 1860, new laws were imposed on the Chinese nation. It became largely under control of the British, who enabled more of their citizens to settle down in China without being under the Qing’s rule. A foreign delegation was founded in Beijing so as to simplify Britain’s
The roots of the humiliation inflicted by the Western countries on China are various. The 19th century has been a period of commotion in the Chinese history, which in the end gave the possibility for its people to impose a radical change in their governing system. Before that, and before the western nations became interested in trading with China, it remained isolated from the rest of the world’s economic development. Its self-sufficiency depended on the handy production of the peasants, who represented over 90% of the total population of the country. They remained uneducated and lived in great poverty. This non-industrialised empire, ruled by the Qing Dynasty, possessed lots of natural resources, such as tea and spices, which the British Crown envied the most. In addition to this, its artisanal manufacture of porcelain and silk had made its way to the last European tendencies due to the reports of many explorers of the 17th and 18th century. This statement explains why Great Britain started importing Chinese products since the late 1750’s, which in the end turned into a real fight between the two nations.
The disastrous relationship between the foreign nations and China has led to many impacts on the nation’s pride and dignity. Some of the reasons rely on the policies imposed on the Chinese Regime by what were supposed to be “negotiated” treaties. Beneficial to the British Crown in particular, but also its European allies, these treaties had no other purpose but to weaken the Qing’s power over China. After the two Opium Wars, respectively from 1839 to 1842, and 1856 till 1860, new laws were imposed on the Chinese nation. It became largely under control of the British, who enabled more of their citizens to settle down in China without being under the Qing’s rule. A foreign delegation was founded in Beijing so as to simplify Britain’s