1. China, Japan & European Imperialism
World History - Libertyville HS

2. China: The Manchu Dynasty (1644-1912)
Founding the Dynasty
Manchu were from Manchuria
Rebelled against Ming & destroyed dynasty
Claimed Mandate of Heaven (Ming lost – rebellions, famine)
AKA Qing Dynasty

3. Manchu Dynasty Ethnic tension in Manchu Dynasty Extent of Empire
Manchu were ethnically Jurchen
Most of China were ethnic Han
This meant a minority group ruled China
Extent of Empire
At height, 13 million sq miles
Expanded into Tibet, Russia, Taiwan

4. Extent of Manchu Dynasty

5. 19th C: Foreign Pressure Problems facing Manchu
Economic stagnation (agr based economy)
Population explosion (famines)
Antique gov’t system not strong
Isolation from rest of world, esp. Europe
Britain, Germans, Russians, French
& Japanese divide China

6. Contact w/ European Nations
1793: Brits attempted alliance w/ Manchu (refused)
After 1815, world trade, dominated by Europeans, expanded quickly
Massive Chinese markets drew Europeans
Chinese trade goods (silk, tea, ceramics)
Caricature: “The Reception”

7. Chinese Trade w/ Europe
Chinese demanded silver bars in payment (didn’t want mfgr’d goods)
Brits, French didn’t want to give up their limited supply of silver
Brits, French sold opium into China from India (very addictive) for Chinese silver, then traded silver back to Chinese!

8. First Opium War ( )
Manchu gov’t outlawed opium in China (seized British opium at docks)
British gov’t declared war
Royal navy destroyed outdated Chinese wooden navy
British army, w/ rifles, artillery, crushed Chinese

9. First Opium War Treaty of Nanking
Demanded reparations (payments) for Brit losses
Unrestricted access to Chinese markets for European countries
Annexed Hong Kong as British city

10. Second Opium War ( )
Brits tried to re-negotiate Treaty of Nanking
Allow Brit trade access to Chinese rivers
Est. permanent Brit embassy in Peking (capital)
Chinese refused to sign = war
Chinese crushed, again

11. Second Opium War Treaty of Tianjin
All official Chinese docs to be written in English
British warships given unlimited access to Chinese rivers
Christian missionaries allowed
Other foreign embassies allowed
Opium importation legalized

12. The Empress Dowager
Tsu His started as peasant concubine of Emperor ( )
Very intelligent, clever, manipulative
Outwitted 8 regents to become regent to her son
After son died (1874), she continued to rule in nephew’s name, until her death in 1908
Known as “Empress Dowager” or the “Dragon Lady”
Focused her reign on keeping China whole in face of foreign aggression

13. Boxer Rebellion (1900) Righteous Harmony Society (“Boxers”)
Native Chinese focused on throwing “foreign devils” out of China
Believed that they could become invulnerable to European bullets
“Devils” included Catholic, Protestant missionaries & their Chinese converts
Empress Dowager attempted to remotely control the Boxers

14. Boxer Rebellion German ambassador murdered by Boxers in Beijing
European delegations besieged in Beijing embassies by Boxers, Chinese troops, for 55 days
European nations, US allied vs Chinese to save their citizens

15. Boxer Rebellion
Eight European nations, Americans, & Japan (!), invaded and conquered Beijing
Dowager Empress fled city
Treaty ending fighting was harsh
Reparations
Permanent European, US presence in China

16. End of Manchu After death of Empress Dowager, baby emperor took over
Regent council established
Rebellions broke out; regions est. indep. Gov’ts
1912: Child Emperor forced to abdicate
Ended 2000 years of Chinese emperors, as local warlords ruled

17. Japan: Feudal and Isolated (1333-1868)
Daimyo (powerful noble clans) dominated Japan
Emperor was a figurehead
Shogun = military dictator, appointed by emperor
Usually most powerful daimyo

18. Feudal Japan
Samurai (military nobility) sworn to daimyo families, much like knights in feudal Europe
Tokugawa Shogunate ( )
Placed samurai above commoners
Limited commoners’ freedom
Kept foreigners OUT! (exception: Dutch, once a year)

19. End of Isolation: “The Black Fleet” (1853)
Commodore Matthew Perry (USN) & four modern warships steamed into main port
Perry demanded Japan open to trade with USA
Forced Japanese shogun to sign trade and peace treaty
Example of “gunboat diplomacy”

20. Meiji Restoration & the Japanese Empire (1868-1945)
Shogun forced out of power; emperor took back over
Meiji Restoration
Period of intense nationalism & socio-economic restructuring
Japanese realized they needed to industrialize or else get taken over by West

21. “Empire of the Rising Sun”
Japan became industrial power within 25 years
Became imperialist
China-Japanese War (1894-5): they won, taking over Korea
Russo-Japanese War (1904-5): proved that East could defeat Western power
Helped stop Boxer Rebellion

22. Japan, Ascendant Japanese ally with Great Britain, 1902
Join WWI on side of British
Attack, seize German bases in Pacific, China
End of WWI = Japan was most powerful nation in Pacific