Causes and Reasons for the Rise of the Taiping Movement
- Social Inequality
- Land shortages, overpopulation, and heavy taxation left millions of peasants in poverty.
- Qing Decline
- Corruption, defeats in the Opium Wars, and the burden of unequal treaties damaged imperial authority.
- Religious Vision
- Hong Xiuquan, a failed scholar influenced by Christian teachings, believed he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ and chosen to cleanse China.
- Ethnic Tensions
- The ruling Manchus were resented by the Han Chinese majority, who saw them as foreign oppressors.
- Promise of Equality
- The movement offered land reform, gender equality, and end of foot-binding, appealing to peasants and women.
Definition
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
- Rebel government established in southern China from 1851–1864.
Definition
Hong Xiuquan
- Leader of the rebellion; claimed divine inspiration to overthrow the Qing.
The Rise of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
Establishment and Early Success
- Founded in Guangxi province (1851); proclaimed the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace (Taiping Tianguo).
- Army marched north, capturing Nanjing (1853) and renaming it Tianjing, their capital.
- Gained support from peasants, miners, and women seeking social change.
- Created a theocratic state with strict moral codes that banned alcohol, gambling, and opium.
- Aimed to replace Confucianism with a Christian-inspired ideology.
Ideological and Social Features
- Advocated shared land ownership and equality between men and women.
- Promoted literacy and education based on the Bible.
- Established centralized bureaucracy under Hong’s divine authority.
- Rejected traditional Confucian hierarchies and the imperial examination system.
- Gained attention from Western observers, who were divided between sympathy and fear.
Reasons for the Fall of the Taiping Rebellion
- Leadership Conflicts
- Hong Xiuquan became isolated, focusing on religious visions while commanders fought among themselves.
- Poor Administration
- The movement lacked effective governance and economic management in its controlled territories.
- Qing Recovery
- The dynasty regained strength with the support of regional armies led by Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang.
