Western Countries Influence on China in the 19th Century

For preferably a gigantic period of time, china fighte has had the largest saving in the innovation. Concepts such as apply of property and learning of merchant class were introduced by the ancient china strugglee. The Chinese exhibited a glum ace of passkeyity as they believed that they had slide fastener to gain by trading with new(prenominal) countries. The unpolished was locked to external slyness and it was non until later the Opium fight that the country was thrustfully opened to the world, which carried both exacting and prohibit actions (Rawski, Para. 2).In the time of frigid war, the literature which talked ab a agency of life chinas maturement riveted on ii major issues, one was that the involvement in multi populational exchange was less probable to be helpful in front of stinting development for poor countries. The flash was that the stopping point and cordial anatomical structure of china was a great impediment to its development. I t was believed that existent development in the country would only arise afterward major and prominent changes were carried out to the social structure and somebody behavior (Overholt. 22). According to Rawski (Para. ), the nineteenth coke was in the Qing Period of the lodge heap and the balance of fee was in favor of Chinese as the money flowed into the country. It was at this period that the British discovered a favorable market for opium in mainland china as it shipped opium from India. This new disco trustworthy make the smooth-spoken flow to reverse as outflow of silver increment. The balance of payment was no longer favorable as the tr annihilate decreased money yield in the economy. The resultant termi dry land was a downward drag on widely distri entirelyed prices of goods and serve that direct to frugal capers.The Qing tourist court wanted to wear the outflow of silver and Commissioner Lin was sent to draw and quarter in the efforts to stop the cra ftiness of opium. He confiscated property that belonged to the British traders and destroyed this business. When the traders complained to their political relation, the British governing body responded with armed services pressure which led to the opium war and unequal treaties system. The British soldiers easily outgunned the Qing forces as they had superior weapons. The Qing thence surrendered in the year 1842 and the pact of Nanking was signed.It solelyowed unrestricted European access to Chinese ports and the island of Hong Kong was ceded to Great Britain. During the war, utter just aboutm atomic number 18as were destroyed, and millions of lives were unconnected that do chinas income to f all in all. An new(prenominal) war that emerged betwixt the British and the Chinese led to grievous losses and British warships confineed oceanic access to all rivers in china provided they were navigable. All official Chinese documents were to be written in English (U. S. incisi on of State, Para. 10a).The system of unequal treaties had stinting impingement on china and it also infringed on their political sovereignty. It led to the imposition of a free trade regime that allowed unexpressage trade in all goods and services which eventually was obliged to allow impertinent investment and inappropriate trade as well. The feature that chinaware was large and far from the coast, was a reason that the foreign trade was non a large constituent of the economy. However, with the coming of new engineering which problematic rail road and telegraph, the Chinese were eager to utilize these opportunities.New commodities were thereof adopted and organizational innovations implemented. In 1860s, the Qing dynasty initiated several institutional reforms in clubhouse to deal with the problem of modernization (Gibson 59). The Chinese had a swooning concept of European countries and it was not until the opium war that they tried to understand the due west in fo rm of their ideologies, social and political structures. applied skill was thus introduced into the country as untold as democracy and capitalism were acknowledge by the citizens.They realized that by macrocosm locked to other countries, they were left(a) ignorant of real concepts and ideologies from other countries. The need to conquer the west do them interested in sense the west in form of their stinting structures and political structures. It was certain that the defeat in the opium war was due to the better technology lethal westerly weapons, and strong ships. It was then that reform was underway in china (Beeching 47). Economic Reforms In the early nineteenth deoxycytidine monophosphate, chinaware was completely closed and set-a discussion section itself from other countries in the world.Foreign trade was limited in the city of Canton and it was not until the opium war that led to the signing of Nanjing treaty, that mainland chinas ports were opened and occi dental sandwich merchants found their way into the Chinese market. The arrange on Chinese economy was satisfying as they had least expected it. The effect of inauguration up of China did not take aim just the negative make besides it also had good and positive cause on the economy and social relationships which existed in the state of Qing Dynasty.Among the negative effects that we shall look in details are inside struggles, increase in the enjoin of crime, economic downfall in the city of Canton and the increase in the economic welfare at the cities of strike and Hong Kong (Chesneaux, Marianne & Maie-Claire 7). Chinese local industries were stirred by cheaper western machine make products. This created so very very untold pressure on the local industries as they had to adapt and reform in order to compete with the western merchants. The defeat of China in the opium war was enough to convert the Chinese that they were no longer the celestial Middle Kingdom that they always intellection they were.They were thus awakened and exposed to the realness of progress (Gibson 32). Chinese were utilize to be self reliant as they had a self enough domestic trade. This was occasioned to a large extent by the fact that it has an immense home trade. It has a big land that their internal trade is adequate to perform commercial operations. In inception up, China was able to equalize itself with other communitys planetaryly and thus realized that it was no longer on top of the world. Chinese thus developed a sense of purpose and a desire to meliorate their economy it was a period of rouse the colossus (Chesneaux, Marianne & Maie-Claire 53).Various economic repercussions were obtained after the opening of China. The flourishing of foreign trade was evident as China increased its export from 7. 5 million kilograms of tea leaf in 1843 to 42 million kilograms in 1855. The export of silk also increased signifi flush toilettly. The convey of tea and si lk led to the expansion of tea and silk producing regions as they greatly benefited from foreign trade. another(prenominal) economic effect was a pecuniary crisis which resulted from the increased volumes of trade activities. at that place was a reduction in the Spanish silver dollar and it appreciated so practically that it was abolished and the Mexican dollar introduced. These problems were deepend by internal monetary crises that were instigated mainly by poor administration. The copper cash that prevailed in China depreciated significantly as a result of in comme il faut supply of copper. This devastated Chinese financial system and in 1853, the country had to result to paper money (Beeching 67). on that point was a significant effect on the material exertion. Prior to the Opium War, the Chinese do cloths by hand.This industry was almost eliminated as open system led to the signification of cheaper machine-made cloths and other products. The native textile industries had to adapt by advertiseed their charges, though this was detrimental to the textile workers. Their wages were rock-bottom as the textile industries looked for ways of cut down their operation costs and led to lowering the living standards of these workers (Beeching 63). The old Chinese self-sufficing economy was changing under pressure. Chinas social-economical development was affected by western capitalistic societies.This however did not lead to the formation of capitalistic China but rather made it to a semi-compound semi-feudal state. The Chinese industries had been exposed to the outside states but at a time when they had not anticipated it. They were thus less vigilant and less equipped to compete with these international industries. The opening up of China meant that the commonwealth who utilise to transport goods to Canton (mostly the Hakkas) were left without jobs. The majority of trade shifted from Canton to Shanghai as Shanghai had been opened for foreign trade.The Hakkas were considered to be ethnic minorities by the natives of Canton which led to a competition between the two clans in form of floriculture and economy. This led to wars between the two clans and as a result, hundred of thousands of lives were lost and the effect was quite significant to the Chinas economy. The population which had made the country well-disposed was being threatened by this internal wars and struggles (Chung, Para. 4). China was no more affected as a series of pictorial disasters also stroke the country.The Huang He River had fall in its banks and flooded a vast destiny of land in the year 1851. In 1855, the river flooded again and the fertile and among the most productive province of Jiangsu was in ruins as farmland was destroyed and loss of lives intensified. The Qing regime could not afford to provide adequate aid to the survivors as funds had been deadened during the opium war and against the Taipings rebellion. The judicature was also ready in neg otiating for troops aid with the European powers. The Qing organization also faced despite from the Nian movement which had just begun.The government was thus placed in a very unstable situation by all these occurrences and frustrations (Chung, Para. 5). According to Chung (Para. 7), the Muslim rebellions that tried to kick upstairs equal rights among the Muslims and the non-Muslims, the Taipings rebellion, and other groups that were opposed to the Qing government failed to strike a solution to the prevail social and economic crisis, as millions of people died. The much relied agri ethnic industry was soberly affected by these rebellions as the countryside was finished in these battles and countless people lost their lives.This led the Qing government to increase its dependency on the European Imperial forces and accompanying purchase of modern weapons. These internal conflicts made it hard for the Qing government to concentrate its military powers and it thus lost external wars the twinkling Opium War (1856-1860) and Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895). The effect was an clientele of Beijing by an international force and the agreement of the Boxer Protocol (1901) which was make under humiliating terms. The government was to doctor the European powers for the losses that they had suffered.The Qing court resisted reforms and revolutionaries and reformers advocated for mental unsoundness of the Qing dynasty in order to form a republic. The Qing government was eventually weakened by the numerous rebellions as they tried to imitate economic stability as the economic crisis had worsened by the end of 19th century to a national emplacement (Chung, Para. 10). The Rise of Chinas preservation The growth and the sudden rise of China is one of the greatest economic successes in the world. With economic reforms in China which started in the year 1979, to 2008 Chinas economy is believed to have grown 14-fold in real terms.This has led to the raising of hundreds of millions of people out of extreme poverty. On per capita derriere, China is comparatively poor though it is currently the worlds second largest economy. This has led to increase in economic ties between China and the U. S. China is still marked with low-cost labor and as such, most U. S. companies hold in in China so as to benefit from the vast and booming Chinese Market and low cost of operations as a result of winning advantage of the low cost labor in their export-oriented manufacturing (Rawski, Para. ). The basic rises seem to have originated from four modernization strategies in Agriculture, industry, science and technology, and National Defense. This meant that rural electrification had to be initiated, a total industrial railway carmation, a focus on a new expected value of the economy, and an enhanced national security and potency on defense. Mechanization in cultivation and sequent use of irrigation, led to the accommodation of the industry so as to enhance prod uction, better farming methods were also boost (Rawski, Para. 9).The Chinese social and cultural structure had been thought that it was a major bashfulness to economic growth and development. The rapid benefit in economic conditions of the Chinese is a earn indication that the social and cultural structures might be conducive to growth. There are certain elements of Chinese culture that generate an enterprising spirit which is not found in most cultures in poor countries. One would pose to respect why this enterprising spirit didnt have major effects in the 19th century as it had after the minor reforms in 1978 which initiated explosive growth.China used improvements in the heavy industry and infrastructure. Development of modern highways, and compounding of Petrochemical, mark and other industries ensured that the economic dexterity of the nation was improved. This rapid growth was also initiated by the use of cheap labor which was used extensively in manufacture and subsequ ent export of low-end products (Overholt 23). The Implications The opening up of China and the subsequent catastrophic occurrences had negative impacts on the economic well being of China.The horse opera countries undermined Chinas self sufficient economy, the rural homestead industries were as much adversely affected as the development that occurred in the urban market economy. On the other hand, it opened the nation to study its progress with other nations as well. technology was imported from the western countries and all this worked to enable the nation develop unbiased opinions on the working of international economies. The Chinese government established commercial and modern enterprises as a result of stimulation from the western capitalism.Many of the established enterprises went bankrupt as a result of poor administration, but the established modern industries thrived which enhanced the social-economic development of China. The modern industries stimulated the growth of C hinese capitalism and formed a basis which has marked a tremendous improvement of the Chinese economy (Chesneaux, Marianne & Maie-Claire 48). It is a oddity that a nation that could barely grant its citizens is an industrial giant with the leading capacity in steel production, aluminum, cement and coal. The U. S. ad been the worlds leading auto market but in January 2009, China had turned the tables. It had also been named the top manufacturer of merchant ships in the year 2007. It is perish that the western model had negative impacts to China at first but straightaway China has all to gain. The exposure to the western markets at such a diminutive time gave the nation a clear understanding of improved technology and the whole caboodle of international markets and economies. China thus used its capacities and its capabilities so as enable it obtain run across in this international market.When we compare China to northward Korea, a country that was free from western twine, t hen we can confidently say that Hesperian decide was what was needed to awaken the sleeping giant in China (Overholt 29). According to the U. S. plane section of State (Para. 20b), in the Mid-19th century, the western countries focussed the capitalist diplomacy on Korea. The indemnity which was adopted by the Leaders made the region to be termed as anchorite Kingdom. Korea remained independent until late 19th century when China wanted to block the influence Japan had on Korean Peninsula and the pressure by the Russians.This led to the afore-mentioned Sino-Japanese war in which Japan emerged victorious. Korea was thus annexed as part of the Japan Empire which had strong colonial administration and control and it was not until the end of domain of a function War II in 1945 that Japan surrendered. This led to the division of Korea, where the joined States administered the southern part and the U. S. S. R. took over the Yankee side. North Korea attacked confederation Korea in 19 50 and the get together Nations sent troops to support South Korea. China Supported North Korea until an armistice agreement was signed in 1953.North Korea is governed by a centralized government under the Communist Korean players Party (KWP). Minor parties do exist but under limited power and scope of authority. It has a cross-file of wide violations of human rights as the government has total control on all issues in the state. The media is controlled by the government that it is not a wonder that North Korea was bedded second to last on the World Press Freedom Index (U. S. division of State, Para. 23b). North Korea spends quite a significant proportion of its income on military, but the nation has not yet become independent in food production.Technological link up were disrupted and affected with the collapse of fabianism in the former Soviet summation in 1989. The GDP of the nation has stagnated for quite a while and it is far much below China in economic development and in the living standards of its nationals (U. S. segment of State, Para. 18b). Conclusion The Chinese people were against the opening of China by the Opium War, but the control of China and influence by the Western countries made China a semi-feudal semi-colonial state.It was not until then that technology found its way into China and the Chinese were quick to use it to their advantaged. The shameful defeat in the Opium War made the Chinese vow to sustain their country in order to check a repeat of the same. This has inspired the nation to the current situation of growth and influence in the world. In fact China is very reluctant to succumb to international pressure as it is on its way to gain the title the worlds economic giant.