Causes and Course of the Boxer Rebellion (1900–1901)
- The Boxer Rebellion was an anti-foreign and anti-Christian uprising led by peasants known as the Righteous and Harmonious Fists.
- Years of natural disasters, poverty, and anger toward foreign influence caused resentment among ordinary Chinese.
- Boxers targeted foreign missionaries, Chinese Christians, and Western businesses, blaming them for China’s suffering.
- Many local officials tolerated or secretly supported the movement because it directed anger away from the Qing government.
- When the Boxers reached Beijing, Empress Dowager Cixi declared war on foreign powers, leading to a disastrous invasion by the Eight-Nation Alliance (Britain, Japan, Russia, France, Germany, USA, Italy, Austria-Hungary).
Definition
Missionary
- a person sent to spread a religion, often Christianity.
Definition
Alliance
an agreement between countries to support each other militarily or politically.
Case study
The Boxer Rebellion
The Uprising
- The Boxers destroyed foreign property and killed foreigners and Chinese converts to Christianity.
- They believed martial arts and spiritual rituals made them invulnerable to bullets.
- The Qing court’s mixed response divided leaders; some saw the Boxers as patriots, others as a threat.
- The siege of foreign legations in Beijing led to brutal fighting and foreign intervention.
Consequences of Defeat
- The Boxer Protocol (1901) forced China to pay 450 million taels of silver in indemnities to foreign powers.
- Foreign troops were stationed permanently in Beijing to protect diplomats.
- China’s sovereignty was further weakened, and the Qing dynasty’s reputation suffered.
- The defeat showed that China needed urgent modernization to survive in a world dominated by industrial powers.
The Late Qing Reforms (1901–1911)
- After the Boxer defeat, Cixi and reform-minded officials introduced the Late Qing Reforms to modernize government, education, and the military.
- These reforms aimed to rebuild China’s strength and prevent revolution.
- The New Policies (1901–1911) focused on centralizing administration, expanding education, and improving defense.
- The government replaced the old civil service exam system with modern schools and Western-style curricula.
- The army was reorganized into a New Army trained along Western lines.
Case study
The Late Qing Reforms
Key Reforms Introduced
- Education Reform: Civil service exams were abolished in 1905 and replaced with a modern school system.
- Military Reform: Creation of a centralized New Army, influenced by Japanese and Western training methods.
- Administrative Reform: Attempts to create provincial assemblies and prepare for a constitutional monarchy.
- Economic Reform: Investment in railways, industry, and mining under government supervision.
Limitations and Failures
- Reforms came too late; most were not fully implemented before the dynasty collapsed.
- The government’s promises of a constitution and national assembly were slow and unconvincing.
- Regional military leaders gained power, weakening central authority.
- The educated elite and reform-minded youth became frustrated, leading to growing support for revolutionary groups like Sun Yat-sen’s Tongmenghui.
Long-Term Impact and the Fall of the Qing Dynasty
- The Boxer defeat and the limited Late Qing Reforms exposed the dynasty’s inability to modernize effectively.
- Nationalist and revolutionary movements gained support among students and overseas Chinese.
- The Qing dynasty’s last decade saw continued loss of confidence in imperial rule.
- The promise of constitutional reform failed to meet the people’s demand for real participation in government.
- These failures directly contributed to the 1911 Revolution, which ended 2,000 years of dynastic rule.
Common Mistake
- Students often treat the Boxer Rebellion and Late Qing Reforms as separate events rather than linked causes and consequences.
- Many forget that the Boxer Protocol marked a major loss of sovereignty and motivated reform efforts.
- Some assume the Late Qing Reforms were successful, overlooking how timing and weak leadership made them ineffective.
Exam technique
- Organize essays around cause, effect, and consequence to show how one event led directly to the next.
- Use specific details (Boxer Protocol, New Army, abolition of exams) to strengthen analysis and show historical knowledge.
Theory of Knowledge
- Can external defeat be a stronger motivator for reform than internal belief
- How does fear of losing power affect how governments approach modernization?
Self review
- To what extent did the Boxer Rebellion contribute to the fall of the Qing dynasty?
- Assess the successes and failures of the Late Qing Reforms (1901–1911).
- Compare the aims and outcomes of the Boxer Rebellion and the Late Qing Reforms.
