Causes and Consequences The Tonghak rebellion Causes and Consequences

Causes? Religious Peasant discontent Desire to posthumously exonerate leaders of the cult Demands of the followers Peasant discontent High taxes Lack of justice Japanese and Chinese presence in Korea Resentment by Koreans Japanese and Chinese vie for control of Korea

What was the Chinese response to the rebellion? Support to Korean ruler and Yuan Shih Kai tried to put down the rebellion

What was the Japanese response? Opposed China Tried to reinstate theTaewongun Japanese intervention because it claimed China’s actions violated treaty of Tientsin led directly to Sino Japanese war

Why did Japan win in the war? Better trained troops Planned attack. The Japanese were ready for a war and the Tonghak rebellion gave them the excuse to attack

Why did China lose? Poor tactics Lack of interest in defending Korea against Japan? Southern Chinese governors did not want to get involved for they saw it as Li’s misadventure and no more What it did achieve was: made it clear that China’s self strengthening movement had failed

Treaty of Shimonoseki Korea’s losses China gave up its suzerainty over Korea which was now regarded as an independent state How did this term affect Korea?

Impact of the treaty of Shimonoseki Marked the end of an era. Chinese dominance of East Asia over While it did not yet see the rise of Japan, it was clear who would take over Japan’s dominant position in East Asia would remain until 1945 For Korea it meant that Korea was now a puppet regime controlled by the enlightened clique who wanted more contacts with Japan

How far did the treaty of Shimonoseki have an impact on Korea? It allowed Japan a freer hand in Korea It gave Japan greater control over the Korean economy It also allowed Russia to get involved in Korea and for a time, King Kojong turned to the Russians for help against the Japanese

Historiography Read Ki Baik Lee’s assessment What according to him are the main reasons for the Tonghak rebellion ? How according to Dr Lee, is the situation a Korea a cause for a show down between Japan and Korea. Read the historiography sheet. Which two historians see the Tonghak rebellion as a catalyst for the Sino Japanese war? Which two historians see a similarity with the Taiping rebellion?