The Qing Dynasty fell apart in the 19th after flourishing throughout the 18th century. Like many complicated systems, it grew brittle and inflexible. It could not adjust as new problems arose. Bad harvests, warfare, rebellions, overpopulation, economic disasters, and foreign imperialism contributed to the dynasty’s collapse. The qing rulers were themselves foreign as they were not Chinese but Manchu so in a way its downfall was due to foreigner as it was the governments failure that helped cause the collapse of the qing dynasty. another theory is that like all Chinese dynasties it fell because of corruption.
Ever since the West began to exert an influence on China in the 1800s, Chinese people could be divided into two camps based on how they viewed foreigners in their country. While some supported strengthening the nation through peaceful reforms, others wanted to forcefully drive foreigners out of the country. When the anti-foreign Boxer Rebellion ended in defeat in the summer of 1900, it was again time to try more peaceful means to bring about a new order of things. 1902 saw in China the start of a reform, which lasted until the collapse of the Qing dynasty.
A reason some believed the qing dynasty collapsed was the lose of the mandate of heaven. The mandate of heaven was given to those in power and they were given the right to rule from a divine source. It was believed that if the ruler was incompident they would lose the mandate of heaven and power. The mandate of heaven differs from the divine right of kings as the concept was divised to keep leaders in cheek.
China did not really need to trade goods with Britain. There was a high demand for China’s tea in Great Britain but a low demand for Britain’s goods in China. Great Britain was in debt with China and they had to do something to get out. As a result, they turned to selling silver