China and Japan in the Imperial Period

China and the West: Tea-Opium Connection

• Largely self-sufficient– Agriculture• Quick growing rice• Spanish and Portuguese traders brought maize, sweet

potatoes, and peanuts from the Americas– Extensive mining and manufacturing industries• Salt, tin, silver, and iron

– Trading goods• Silk, cottons, porcelain

– Not much interest in Western goods• Only allowed to trade at the port of Guangzhou

Opium Wars

• Found one good the Chinese would trade for – opium– By 1835, 12 million people were addicted– British refused to stop trading it• Lead to Opium Wars

– Mostly fought at sea– Chinese lost because of outdated ships – Forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing

» Gave the British Hong Kong» Foreigners were not subject to Chinese law at Guangzhou and

other Chinese ports

Taiping Rebellion• Under the Qing Dynasty, population doubled in 60 years but

the food production did not – Lead to widespread hunger and anger– Chinese people began to rebel

• Taiping Rebellion– Led by Hong Xiuquan– Wanted to build “Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace”

• All would share China’s wealth and no one would live in poverty– 1850s, Hong had a peasant army of almost 1,000,000 people

• Took control of S. China• 1835 – captured Nanjing and made it his capital

– Problems: constant feuding among leaders• British and French also attacked the army• 20,000,000 people (or more) died in the fighting

Foreign Influence Grows• Dowager Empress Cixi– Supported the start to reforms• Updated education system, diplomatic service, and military

• Sphere of Influence– Japan used the apparent weakness of China to gain a

foothold• They needed this in order to gain extra land that wasn’t

available in Japan– Open Door Policy• Championed by the US, it said that the “doors” should be

open to merchants of all nations• Kept China from being controlled by any one nation

Chinese Nationalism• Boxer Rebellion– Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists– Campaigning against the Dowager Empress’s rule and

the foreign privilege seen in the country– Attacked Beijing shouting “Death to the Foreign

Devils”• Multinational army marched on Beijing and defeated the

Boxers– Consequence: Growth of nationalism• Needed to be more resistant to foreign intervention• Government must respond to the needs of the people

End of the Tokugawa Shogun• 1600-1853 Japan was isolated• 1853 – Perry and the US– Angry over shipwrecked sailors

• TREATY OF KANAGAWA – treaty signed on 31 March 1854, allowing US ships into the ports of Hakodate and Shimoda, where a US consul would also be accepted– First treaty Japan signed with a

Western country

Japan in the Imperial Period

Samurai Rebellion against Western Influence

• Sat-Cho (Satsuma – Choshu) Alliance– Defeated by the US– Japan need to militarize to

survive• Sat – Cho coup over Tokugawa

Shogunate

Meiji Restoration

• Sat-Cho emperor replaced shogun• Modernize and Westernize– Politics – prefects replace daimyos• Prime Minister and Parliament govern w/ Emperor

– Military – based on the Prussian model• Iwakara Mission: Took ideas from other countries:– France – Law– Prussia (soon to be Germany) – Military, steel, medicine– Britain – navy– US – mechanized agriculture

Imperial Japan• In short amount of time, Japan modernized and became the

greatest military power in Asia– As Japanese power grew, they became more imperialistic– Wanted to show the world they were a powerful nation

• Sino-Japanese War– China and Japan saw Korea as an important trading power and

military post• Both countries signed a hands-off agreement, saying neither would send

armies into Korea– China lied

• To help with rebellions, China sent troops into Korea • Japan protested and send its troops in to fight China• Japan easily defeated the Chinese, drove them out of Korea, and gained a

foothold in Manchuria• Peace treaty gave Japan Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands

Russo-Japanese War• Russia and Japan ended up as major powers after

China was defeated– Went to war over Manchuria • Japan launched a surprise attack on Russian ships off the

coast of Manchuria • Drove the Russians out of Korea and captured the Russian

fleet • 1905 Russia and Japan started peace negotiations

– Signed the Treaty of Portsmouth » Gave Japan the captured territories» Forced Russia to withdraw from Manchuria and stay out of

Korea