Question

Describe the sequence of conflicts, and their consequences, that weakened Qing China?

Answer 1

The Qing Dynasty was the final ruling dynasty of imperial China.  The original Qing rulers were from Manchuria and looked at as outsiders or "aliens" when they seized power in 1644.  By the late 1800s, European imperialist powers were interested in controlling portions of China for economic and military reasons.  Many Chinese citizens resented foreign interference in their affairs.  This resentment can be seen in three major events:  the Opium Wars (1839-1842 and 1856-1860), the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864), and the Boxer Rebellion of 1900.  

The British began importing opium into China from their nearby colony of India.  This was seen not only as an interference in the Chinese economy but also as harmful to society.  The Opium Wars ended badly for the Chinese, as the British were able to eventually seize Hong Kong.  Meanwhile, an internal upheaval known as the Taiping Rebellion showed the dissatisfaction of the Chinese people with the ruling Manchu leaders.  Lasting nearly 15 years, the rebellion claimed more than 20 million lives and challenged the political and religious power of the Manchus. 

The Manchu government continued to weaken little by little over the next 40 years.  By 1900, China had been divided up by European powers into "spheres of influence", where countries such as France and Britain controlled economic activity.  Chinese nationalists, known as the Fists of Righteous Harmony (or "Boxers") led an uprising against foreigners and Chinese Christians, who had been converted by European missionaries.  This rebellion further weakened the Manchu government. 

Eventually, in 1911 the 6 year old prince renounced the throne and ended not only the Manchu dynasty, but imperial China.  For the next several decades, civil war devastated China.  Finally, in 1949, the Communist revolution led by Mao Zedong established the People's Republic of China.