Chapter 19
Chapter 19
During the 1800s, the British sold addictive opium to the Chinese. China's interaction with Britain allowed them to engage in European culture and modernity. Aside from dealing with the West, China, Latin America and Japan had internal issues.
China's Century of Crisis
While China was a successful state, they were able to limit the import of European goods. However, as their state collapsed, they became reliant on Europe. The increase in population and little wealth and resources were factors in China's decline. The ineffectiveness of government officials and military pressure from the West led to peasant rebellions. The Taiping Uprising sought to change China to an industrialized society and give more equality to women. However, divisions in leadership allowed government forces to take down the rebellion. This civil conflict took a huge toll on the economy and resulted in millions of lost lives. The West found a market for opium in China as opium had to be smuggled into China, a ton of silver was used to pay for the opium and millions became addicted to the drug. The government put restrictions on the drug but Britain used its military force to end the restrictions and got access to several ports for trading. After more defeats, China was opened up to foreigners as they built military bases and took raw materials. China tried to bring itself up by selecting qualified officials and creating more factories. The Boxer Uprising consisted of militia groups killing foreigners. The rebellion was crushed by Europe and Japan and China had to pay a huge fine afterwards. Some educated individuals formed groups to study Western countries in order to solve China's problems.
The Ottoman Empire and the West in the Nineteenth Century
The Ottoman Empire reigned over a large area but their territory shrank as Europe took over more regions. Not only that but other parts of its territory like Greece and Serbia achieved independence thanks to a rise in nationalism and support from Europeans. The government was ineffective in gaining wealth and the military power of the state was decreasing. They formed unfair treaties with the West which allowed foreigners to be exempt from taxes. Reform in the state began with the expansion of its military power by copying some aspects from the West. Later there were more factories, settlement of agricultural land, more schools and change in laws that gave non Muslims equal rights. More opportunities were also given to women. Young Ottomans was the group that favored reforms but after Sultan reversed the reforms, they started a military coup to exercise their power.
The Rise of a New Asian Power
Japan was able to modernize its society and become an imperialist country. The shogun was able to create centuries of peace by controlling the daimyo and making strict rules regarding occupation, dress and hairstyle. Peace allowed the economy to do well and led to urban development. The government’s inability to deal with a famine contributed to riots by the poor. Japan surrendered to the demands of the West without putting up a fight and this caused a revolution as young samurai sword took over the government. They wanted to change Japan by taking in aspects from the modern West. Japan replaced daimyos with governors and allowed the state to collect taxes thus creating an army. They wanted to learn about science and technology from the West. They created a constitution, parliament and a modern education system. Women weren't given much more opportunities as they were segregated in schools. The country created many enterprises and sought to industrialize itself by building railroads, creating a national currency and bank system. The transformation of Japan caused the West to acknowledge Japan as an equal. Japan joined the West in imperialism by taking China, Taiwan and Korea. Japan also defeated Russia and many saw this as a chance for freedom from the Russians. Chinese reformers sought to learn from Japan. However, China and Southeast Asia suffered under Japan's aggressive rule.
During the 1800s, the British sold addictive opium to the Chinese. China's interaction with Britain allowed them to engage in European culture and modernity. Aside from dealing with the West, China, Latin America and Japan had internal issues.
China's Century of Crisis
While China was a successful state, they were able to limit the import of European goods. However, as their state collapsed, they became reliant on Europe. The increase in population and little wealth and resources were factors in China's decline. The ineffectiveness of government officials and military pressure from the West led to peasant rebellions. The Taiping Uprising sought to change China to an industrialized society and give more equality to women. However, divisions in leadership allowed government forces to take down the rebellion. This civil conflict took a huge toll on the economy and resulted in millions of lost lives. The West found a market for opium in China as opium had to be smuggled into China, a ton of silver was used to pay for the opium and millions became addicted to the drug. The government put restrictions on the drug but Britain used its military force to end the restrictions and got access to several ports for trading. After more defeats, China was opened up to foreigners as they built military bases and took raw materials. China tried to bring itself up by selecting qualified officials and creating more factories. The Boxer Uprising consisted of militia groups killing foreigners. The rebellion was crushed by Europe and Japan and China had to pay a huge fine afterwards. Some educated individuals formed groups to study Western countries in order to solve China's problems.
The Ottoman Empire and the West in the Nineteenth Century
The Ottoman Empire reigned over a large area but their territory shrank as Europe took over more regions. Not only that but other parts of its territory like Greece and Serbia achieved independence thanks to a rise in nationalism and support from Europeans. The government was ineffective in gaining wealth and the military power of the state was decreasing. They formed unfair treaties with the West which allowed foreigners to be exempt from taxes. Reform in the state began with the expansion of its military power by copying some aspects from the West. Later there were more factories, settlement of agricultural land, more schools and change in laws that gave non Muslims equal rights. More opportunities were also given to women. Young Ottomans was the group that favored reforms but after Sultan reversed the reforms, they started a military coup to exercise their power.
The Rise of a New Asian Power
Japan was able to modernize its society and become an imperialist country. The shogun was able to create centuries of peace by controlling the daimyo and making strict rules regarding occupation, dress and hairstyle. Peace allowed the economy to do well and led to urban development. The government’s inability to deal with a famine contributed to riots by the poor. Japan surrendered to the demands of the West without putting up a fight and this caused a revolution as young samurai sword took over the government. They wanted to change Japan by taking in aspects from the modern West. Japan replaced daimyos with governors and allowed the state to collect taxes thus creating an army. They wanted to learn about science and technology from the West. They created a constitution, parliament and a modern education system. Women weren't given much more opportunities as they were segregated in schools. The country created many enterprises and sought to industrialize itself by building railroads, creating a national currency and bank system. The transformation of Japan caused the West to acknowledge Japan as an equal. Japan joined the West in imperialism by taking China, Taiwan and Korea. Japan also defeated Russia and many saw this as a chance for freedom from the Russians. Chinese reformers sought to learn from Japan. However, China and Southeast Asia suffered under Japan's aggressive rule.
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