Historical Development and Impact of Imperialism in the 19th Century
China
Macartney’s mission failed in 1793, and the second one worsens the connection for both China and British countries; however, western traders were restricted to a tiny commercial outlet at Canton. Opium grown within the northeast of India was transported to China using the British fleet, causing the popularity need of drugs despite authority prohibitions on its usage. Qing court in Beijing assigned an imperial authority, Lin Zexu, an exercise to curtail an addictive product market in 1839. Lin Zexu attacked three ways, arresting dealers, punishing drug users, and restricting importers products. In 1839, the opium war waged between the Great British and china for three years. It was china’s initial conflict with the dominant European skill. Therefore, the Chinese experienced humiliating defeat as they lack modern military technology. British army ruined coastal features in china, including seizing Zhoushan island along with the source of the Yangzi stream. In 1842, according to the treaty of Nanjing, China agreements included allowing access at five coastal ports for the British market, eliminating tariffs during the importation of British products. Also, providing rights of extraterritorial for Britains in Chinese society, paying compensation, and ceding Hong Kong island to British.
Failure of the Qing to solve commercial challenges within, caused significant farmer rebellion that tremble the empire’s authority. Taiping Rebellion owed Western invasion, the uprising’s leader. Hong Xiuquan was hopeful in establishing the Heavenly Kingdom of Supreme Peace. The rebels seized Nanjing in 1853, proving to as their greatest watermark. Suppression of rebellion occurred in 1864, although over 25 million individuals with the majority being civilians were reported dead. Finally, the court started listening to official reformers who advocated self-strengthening policy. The self-strengthening system remained a guiding standard for China for almost 250 years. Competition between Great Britain and Russia prevented power from stopping Tibet outright, thus failings to enable Tibetan authorities to restore their local autonomy.
In 1898, Kang Youwei, a Confucian scholar, won the support of the Guangxu emperor for a comprehensive reform program. Empress Dowager Cixi, an aunt to the emperor, fought the new program. She took over after the death of the emperor. She captured and killed many reformers bringing to an end the reform days. Practically the open door notes, however, played a role in minimizing the imperialist hysteria from accessing China. However, the open door fails to stop Boxer Rebellion because it came later after the explosion. Boxers were a society secretly working majorly within the rural places. They assaulted foreigners, and in return, foreign troops punished them by destroying within the capital outskirts.
Commission establishment to analyze constitutional transitions was done in 1905. The legislative assembly was formed over the following year at the provincial stage, and the national assembly election was held in 1910. The operations assisted in shoring up the dynasty temporarily. In 1905, various anti-Manchu groups were united into Revolutionary Alliance by Sun Yat-Sen. A day after the last emperor of China taking over the throne, the empress dowager passed on in 1908, and so the dynasty was collapsing. With despair, the imperial regent asked General Yuan Shikai to suppress the rebellion. Qiu Jin wrote a policy seeking liberation for women and planned for rebellion against the Qing government but was arrested and killed in 1907 while she was thirty-two old.
Japan
In 1853, there was the arrival of the four American war fleet under Commodore Matthew Perry within Edo Bay. The black guns belonging to Perry’s fleet, according to Shogunate in Edo, portrayed decisively. Thereby, Japan came in an agreement with the Kanagawa Treaty. The treaty allowed the opening of two ports for American warships. Later, an elaborate commercial agreement was negotiated by Townsend Harris, a U.S consul in 1858, calling for various ports opening, ministers exchange, extraterritorial privileges granting to U. S residing in Japan. Rebel armies in 1868, besieged palace of the shogun, and declared the restored emperor’s government. After some weeks, the resistance failed, and the weak shogunate system ended. Meiji, a young emperor, was a symbol of the modernization era in Japanese society after being on the throne for the previous year. The Meiji constitution adopted in 1890, concerned the Bismarckian model. Kokutai, a main state’s beliefs, embodied the idea of Japan system uniqueness basing on the high government of the ruler. The organization allowed the traditional elite to maintain their economic power and influence as they consent at the beginning of the new values and institutions.
By the end of the Tokugawa era, the hierarchical social ranking was emerging to disintegrate. Women specifically were strained by three obediences, such as wife to husband, widow to a son, and child to father. Women had none rights to share the inheritance with men, and some obtained none education services outside the family. The rivalry of Sino- Japanese over Korea intensified in the 1880s. China and Japan intervened on opposing sides when another peasant rebellion emerged in Korea. In the war, the Japanese army ruined the Chines ships. Chinese were compelled to comprehend Korean independence within the treaty of Shimonoseki. In 1905, after the Japanese fleet sank, nearly all Russians sailed off the Korea coast; they accepted to humiliate peace and cede back the Liaodong Peninsula to Japan.
Works cited
Duiker, William J., and Jackson J. Spielvogel. The Essential World History, Volume II: Since 1500. Nelson Education, 2012.