Boxer Rebellion

Rid their countries of foreigners.

The Sepoy Mutiny or the Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a bloody uprising against British rule in India. It brought the end to the East India Company and was a small victory for the natives, as the British took direct control of India.

The Taiping Rebellion in China was one of the bloodiest conflicts in history. It was a "fourteen-year struggle to overthrow the Qing dynasty and establish a messianic Christian theocracy" (Newsinger par. 4). It was headed by a man named Hong Xiuquan who came to believe he was Jesus' younger brother. The goal of these "God Worshippers" was to set up a Heavenly Kingdom on earth. But how did a "Christian revolution" come about in China? As we will see, there are a number of factors that planted the seeds for this revolution. Due to the unequal trade, administrative inefficiency, over-taxation, increasing population, and famine of nineteenth century China, the Chinese population, especially the Hakka, became increasingly receptive to new ideas from Christian missionaries which eventually led to insurrection.

One of the major causes of the Taiping Rebellion was the significant increase of foreign imports, especially that of opium. Western capitalistic powers, like Britain and America, were looking to China as a potential market to sell their goods. Due to this, China was under tremendous pressure to "change its policy from one of seclusion to one of participation in world economy" (Teng 24). However, China imported far more than it exported which damaged the nation's economy. For example, "imported foreign textiles usurped the place of Chinese native-made cotton goods, and drove handicraft productions out of the market" (Compilation 3). Chinese vendors could not compete with the goods imported from overseas. And because the vendors could no longer sell their products, there was less demand for the resources to manufacture them. This resulted in a large percentage of the population either losing their jobs, or declaring bankruptcy (Compilation 4). But the import that did the greatest damage to the Chinese economy was opium. "In the nineteenth century [,] the imports of opium increased yearly [,] and between 1831 and 1834 the Chinese people spent over 20 million taels annually on opium. This was equal to nearly half of the total national revenue each year" (Teng 28). The little money the people did have was spent on a drug that created a strong addiction. And when the money ran out, people often resorted to violence to satisfy that addiction. So, the foreign traders were basically extorting the Chinese people by selling them an addictive drug during which time the Chinese were experiencing a financial disaster.

Held foreigners as captives.

The Boxer Rebellion

Before discussing significance, I think it is important that we first discuss what the Boxer Rebellion was. The Boxers were a secret society of young men trained in Chinese Martial Arts and believed to have spiritual powers. They were anti-foreign as well as anti-missionary. The Boxers attacked foreign engineers, tore up railway lines, and marched on Beijing, laying siege to foreign legations in the city (where several thousand Westerners dwelled). This was significant in that it was one of several anti-imperialist movements at the end of the nineteenth century. It testified to the vulnerability of Europeans' imperial power. It drew attention to all the resources Europeans would have to devote to maintain their far-flung influence. Essentially, the Boxer Rebellion brought China to a higher position not quite as weak in Europe's eyes as the country used to be.

The Boxers were a secret society of young men trained in Chinese martial arts, and believed to have spiritual powers. They were very anti-foreign and anti-missionary. They provided the spark for a widespread revolt in northern China. Groups of Boxers attacked foreign engineers, tearing up railway lines, and then marched on Beijing in 1900. They attacked the foreign legations in the city, home to thousands of Western diplomats and merchants. Yet, these legations managed to withstand the siege for 55 days, until more aid came to their side. Nearly 20,000 troops from Britain, France, the U.S., Germany, Italy, Japan, and Russia tried to repress the Boxer movement.

Why were these Boxers important? The Boxer Rebellion was key as an anti-imperialist movement because it revealed the weakness of the Europeans' imperial power. It, in a sense, dramatized how much the Europeans would have to devote to maintaining power overseas.

They did not want China to become unstable.

The enormous reparations demanded by the United States hurt the Chinese economy.

Beijing , China between 1898 and 1901 .

The Boxers were members of a secret group who were officially named the "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists." The name of the Boxers was a nickname given by the Europeans. The Boxers hated anyone who was a foreigner, especially missionaries. But even their own were not exempt. The Boxers had a deep hatred for the Chinese who had been converted to Christianity. The attacks and killings by this group finally caused European governments to send in troops and make demands that this treatment be stopped and reparations made.

Both blamed foreigners for the erosion of traditional cultures

The Sepoy Mutiny was a rebellion against the British in India, and the Boxer Rebellion was against Great Britain and ten other imperial nations in China. There are many differences, but both were prompted by a feeling of intrusion by foreign culture.

One of the reasons the US was in favor of becoming involved in the Boxer Rebellion was the due to the siege of the American Consulate in Beijing. The US was also part of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

The Boxers attacked Western-owned factories

The Boxers attacked churches and railroads. The Boxers wanted to end Western influence.

The Boxer Rebellion was an uprising of a Chinese society that had the support of the Chinese government in 1900. The Chinese had being taken advantage of by imperialist nations for decades. An international force of imperialist nations suppressed the rebellion. To add insult to injury the European, Japanese & American powers demanded damages for the cost of suppressing the rebellion.

The Boxer Rebellion was held against foreign interests controlling life within Chinese society.

It lasted from 1850 to 1864 (14 years).

Looting by Westerners, especially by one particular missionary

The Sepoy Mutiny in India and the Boxer Rebellion in China

yes, America was one of those eight countries who sent their armies to China to cease the rebellion; they had given a good and moral reason for their involvement, but what they did in China were purely barbaric.

The Boxer Rebellion happened because Chinese citizens were rebelling against oppressive rule by foreign governments. The Boxer Rebellion lasted from 1898 until 1900.

One of the reasons the US was in favor of becoming involved in the Boxer Rebellion was the due to the siege of the American Consulate in Beijing. The US was also part of the Eight-Nation Alliance.