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The Causes of the 1898 Coup, Economic Hardships, and the Boxer Rebellion -…
The Causes of the 1898 Coup, Economic Hardships, and the Boxer Rebellion
The 1898 Coup: The Hundred Days' Reform and Conservative Backlash
Background
The Hundred Days' Reform (June-September 1898) was a radical attempt by the Guangxu Emperor to modernize China.
Inspired by Japan's Meiji Restoration (1868-1912), reformers sought constitutional monarchy, educational reform, military modernization, and industrial development.
Led by reformers like Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao, these changes aimed to curb foreign dominance and prevent China's decline.
Causes of the Coup
Conservative Opposition: The reforms threatened the power of the Manchu ruling elite and the scholar-bureaucrat class.
Cixi's Political Influence: The Empress Dowager Cixi, who had ruled as regent for decades, opposed reforms that weakened her control.
Alienation of the Military: The reforms marginalized Beiyang Army commander Yuan Shikai, who betrayed Guangxu to Cixi.
Foreign Pressure: Western powers favored reforms but did not intervene when conservatives staged a coup.
Imperial Decrees & Rapid Pace: The emperor issued over 40 reform edicts in 103 days, alarming traditionalists.
The Coup (21 September 1898)
Cixi launched a palace coup, placed the Guangxu Emperor under house arrest, and executed six leading reformers.
Kang and Liang escaped to Japan; Yuan Shikai was rewarded with a high military post.
The failure of the Hundred Days' Reform ensured China remained a conservative monarchy, indirectly setting the stage for the 1900 Boxer Rebellion.
Economic Hardships (Late 19th Century)
Decline of Agriculture
Overpopulation: China's population surged from 300 million in 1800 to 430 million by 1900, straining resources.
Natural Disasters: Severe droughts (1896-1899) and Yellow River floods (1898-1899) devastated farmlands, leading to food shortages.
Heavy Taxation: The Qing government increased taxes to pay indemnities from the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), worsening peasant hardship.
Economic Impact of Foreign Influence
Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895): China paid 200 million taels of silver to Japan and ceded Taiwan and the Liaodong Peninsula.
"Scramble for Concessions" (1897-1899): Germany, Britain, France, Russia, and Japan carved out spheres of influence with exclusive trading rights.
Industrial Lag: The Qing government failed to develop domestic industries, leading to reliance on foreign goods.
Rise of Anti-Foreign Sentiment
Unemployment & Poverty: Rural discontent fueled hostility toward missionaries and foreign businesses.
Railway Construction: Foreign-built railways disrupted ancestral burial sites, angering locals.
Missionary Privileges: Foreigners were exempt from Chinese law, leading to resentment.
Origins of Boxers & Links to the Court
Who were the Boxers?
The Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists ("Boxers") emerged in Shandong Province in the 1890s.
Initially a self-defense martial arts group, they practiced spirit possession rituals and believed they were immune to bullets.
They blamed foreigners, missionaries, and corrupt officials for China's suffering.
Why did the Boxers gain support?
Economic Hardship: Famine, floods, and taxation fueled peasant anger.
Hatred of Foreigners: Boxers targeted Christian converts and burned churches.
Government Encouragement: Local Qing officials secretly supported the Boxers to channel discontent away from the monarchy.
Qing Court & Boxer Links
Cixi's Shifting Position: Initially wary of the Boxers, Cixi later embraced them as an anti-foreigner force.
Imperial Decree (June 1900): Cixi declared war on foreign powers, ordering officials to support the Boxers.
Failure of the Boxer Uprising: Foreign powers crushed the Boxers in August 1900, forcing the Qing to sign the Boxer Protocol (1901).
Impact on Qing Rule
Mass Executions: Thousands of Boxers were killed, and high-ranking Qing officials were punished.
Foreign Occupation: Beijing remained under foreign control until 1901.
Increased Indemnity: China paid 450 million taels of silver, deepening economic hardship.