During the 19th century, China was under intense domestic pressure in addition to Western imperialist pressure. Strong military support was provided for this demand, which the Chinese society was unable to equal. China's place in the world and its perception of itself were consequently reversed within a century, going from being the world's leading civilization to a subjugated nation. (Miller, 2014). The causes of China's submission to British dominance abroad are therefore discussed in this piece.
Economic gain was the primary driver behind Great Britain's imperialization of China. At first, Britain only wanted to engage in free commerce with China and had no interest in conquest. However, in the British market, there was a rising demand for the Chinese
silk, porcelain, and tea. According to Sanders and Houghton, (2016) Britain did not have the silver required to trade with a China, which resulted in the establishment of a barter system. Also, due to the outflow of the silver bullion from the Western nations to China, the outcome was an imbalance in trade in favor of China. Therefore, the west brought opium into China as the product for exchange and also to reverse the flow of silver. Due to this, China attempted to ban the sales of opium which resulted in the opium war of 1839. The Chinese had a large army but were defeated due to the superior navy that the British controlled. This led to the imposition of the first of the many “Unequal Treaties.” According to the treaty, Britain received five ports including Hong Kong and was granted extraterritorial rights. As a result, the sales of opium continued even though China and especially Empress Dowager wrote to Queen Victoria of England articulating her discontent with the sales of the drug to the Chinese people.
On the other hand, the Japanese witnessed the experience of the Chinese with the Western power, and in 1853 after the US delegates arrived in Japan, the Japanese opened their voluntary. Moreover, Japan adapted rapidly to match its power with the West and later established itself as a competitor for the Asian colonial rights. Between 1894 and 1895, the Japanese as well defeated the Chinese in a battle over the Korean influence. This defeat distorted the traditional international order of the eastern Asia in which Japan was a tribute-bearing inferior power while China was the supreme power. This reversed the traditional power relationship between them in late 1800.
The second reason as to why the Chinese found themselves in a war with the British was due to China’s geographical location. Location was always a motive for imperializing other nation. China also had a lot of commodities to offer. For instance, it had an abundance of natural resources and a vast population that was a source of labor and market. These made the Chinese environment irresistible. Similarly, the Chinese landscape had many ports that resulted in various points of sales and purchase along the ocean line. During the unfair treaty, five of these ports were granted control of the British rule. Therefore, the resistance of the Chinese to trade with the West subjected them to succumb the unfair treatment by the British.
According to Halsey (2015), China attempted reforms as an effort to meet the political and military challenges of the West as from the 1860s onward. It searched for ways to adapt the western culture and technology into its culture while preserving its education and values. Conservatives and reformers struggled to come up with the appropriate formula of making China firm to protect itself against western pressure. However, its attempts failed by the end of 1800. This led to Chinese residence perceiving the Qing dynasty as a “foreign” dynasty. It was during this period that the “Boxer Rebellion” began, but it was redirected toward the West by the Qing Empress Dowager between 1898 and 1900 (Halsey, 2015). However, the Chinese male had cut off their long braids as a symbol of revolution during Manchus authority. As a result, this dynasty was not able to serve as a focal point for mobilizing the nation against the British.
As the final motive for imperializing China, Britain was expanding its emperor globally. The British force had already established their authority in Africa and India, and therefore, they wanted to move to East of Asia for trade. However, they had not imperialized any nation in the west, and thus, China was the best candidate due to its vast population, raw materials, and trading routes (Marsh, 2016). The British were willing to do whatever was required to expand their empire. For instance, they risked the lives of many Chinese by supplying narcotic opium into the nation. The British merchant brought a lot of the drug and sold it, which the Chinese power did not appreciate. As a result, the Chinese declared war, but the British navy clashed them. Britain was able to expand its trading routes to the Far East as it had initially planned. With Britain being in charge of dictating the terms of the treaty, the agreement was biased and much in favor of them.
References
Halsey, S. R. (2015). Quest for Power: European Imperialism and the Making of Chinese Statecraft. Harvard University Press.
Marsh, K. (2016). The History of Global Politics. Encounters with World Affairs: An Introduction to International Relations, 13.
Miller, D. Y. (2014). Modern East Asia: an introductory history. Routledge.
Sanders, D., & Houghton, D. P. (2016). Losing an empire, finding a role: British foreign policy since 1945. Palgrave Macmillan.
