The Opium Wars
Taiping Rebellion
Modernization
Open Door
Boxer Rebellion
100

A trade ___________ is what Britain had with China before the Opium Wars.

Imbalance

100

What is the word to describe widespread, deadly hunger?

famine

100

What new type of transportation did China adopt during this time?

Trains/ Railroads

100

True or False: The Open Door Policy was created by a British economist

false, American

100

How did the Boxers fight the foreigners?

Martial Arts

200

The outflow of this form of currency with little return greatly concerned the British before the opium wars.

Silver

200

Which foreign power had to help the Qing government defeat the Taiping rebellion?

The British

200

What traditional beauty practice did Cixi end for Han women in China?

Foot binding

200

True or False: The Open Door Policy supported a Most Favored Nation

False, equal access

200

Where in China did this rebellion finally end?

Beijing, the Capital

300

The name of the company Britain used to sell opium to Chinese merchants illegally.

The British East India Company

300

What type of war is the Taiping Rebellion considered to be?

A Civil War

300

What form of punishment did Cixi ban during this time?

Death by a Thousand Cuts

300

Why did the U.S. fear not having access to trade in China?

The U.S. feared that these spheres would lead to discriminatory tariffs, exclusive trading rights, and ultimately block American access to Chinese consumers and resources.

300

What class were the Boxers primarily made up of?

The Boxers were largely made up of poor, unhappy, and unemployed peasants, many of whom had been directly affected by the economic hardships and foreign encroachments described above

400

Define treaty ports OR extraterritoriality

Treaty ports in China were cities opened to foreign trade as a result of the Opium Wars and subsequent treaties. These ports were established through unequal treaties imposed on China by Western powers, including Great Britain, France, and the United States


Extraterritoriality, in its simplest form, refers to the principle where a nation's laws and jurisdiction extend beyond its territorial boundaries. It essentially allows a state to apply its laws to individuals or activities that occur outside of its physical borders. This can involve various situations, from prosecuting citizens for crimes committed abroad to regulating businesses with foreign operations

400

What were the primary causes of the Taiping Rebellion?

  • Economic hardship: Rapid population growth, land scarcity, rising rents, and corruption led to widespread poverty and discontent among the peasantry.


  • Social unrest: The Opium Wars and subsequent unequal treaties disrupted the traditional economy and created a sense of national humiliation, fueling anti-Qing sentiment.


  • Natural disasters: Floods and droughts exacerbated existing economic problems, pushing many to desperation.
  • Weakness of the Qing Dynasty: The Qing government was perceived as corrupt, inefficient, and unable to address the growing problems facing the country.


  • Anti-Manchu sentiment: Many Han Chinese resented the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, viewing them as foreign rulers.
400

Why did China focus on modernizing its Navy and Military so much?

Defeat/ humiliation by British gunboats in the Opium Wars

400

What is the term for the areas of economic presence each foreign country had in China during this time?

Spheres of Influence: For China: The spheres of influence undermined China's economic sovereignty. They allowed foreign powers to control railway concessions, mining rights, and exclusive investment opportunities in certain regions. This siphoned off Chinese resources and profits to foreign entities, limited China's ability to develop its own industries, and further weakened its central government's economic control.

400

Explain the financial outcomes of the Boxer Rebellion for China

  • The most significant economic consequence was the imposition of the Boxer Protocol, a punitive settlement signed between the Qing government and the Eight-Nation Alliance (Japan, Russia, Britain, France, the United States, Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary).
  • China was forced to pay an enormous indemnity of 450 million taels of silver (equivalent to approximately $333 million at the time, and a total of around 980 million taels with 4% annual interest over 39 years). This figure was symbolically set to represent one tael for each person in China.


  • This indemnity was a massive financial burden, nearly matching China's annual government revenue, and effectively bankrupted the already struggling Qing government
500

Describe China's economy before the Opium Wars v. After

In essence, before the Opium Wars, China was a powerful, self-sufficient economic empire that controlled its own trade terms. After the wars, it was forced open, its economy was exploited, and its sovereignty was severely compromised, laying the groundwork for a long period of internal weakness and foreign domination.

500

Why did the British help the Qing defeat this rebellion?

They felt it would be easier to trade with the Qings than the Taipings.

500

How did Chinese education modernize during this time?

Western subjects, not just traditional Confuscianism. Also, anyone could go to school, not just people who were related to someone in the government. 

500

Why was John Hay concerned even more about equal trade rights during the Boxer Rebellion?

Threat to China's "Territorial and Administrative Integrity": The Boxer Rebellion was an anti-foreign uprising that challenged the very existence of the Qing government and the foreign presence in China. Hay's initial Open Door Notes (1899) had sought to preserve China's territorial and administrative integrity as a means to ensure equal trade. The rebellion, however, threatened to shatter this integrity completely. If the Qing government collapsed and foreign powers intervened to put down the rebellion, there was a high risk that they would abandon the "sphere of influence" model and move towards outright partition or colonization of China. This would be a catastrophic outcome for American trade interests.

500

Explain the connection between the unequal treaties and the Boxer Rebellion

Following defeats in the Opium Wars and other conflicts, China was forced to sign a series of "unequal treaties" with Western powers and Japan. These treaties granted extensive concessions to foreign nations, including extraterritoriality (exempting foreigners from Chinese law), loss of tariff autonomy (preventing China from protecting its domestic industries through tariffs), and control over customs and salt taxes.