Chase Justus
Modern China
Dr. Gao
February 23, 2017
The Westernization of China
Modernization in China began back in the 1700s. In the 1800s, China not only encounters internal pressures within their own governing body, but they also experience major Western imperialist pressure. This pressure was enforced by militant power that China could not combat. Within a century, China went from a prominent civilization that governed itself to being subject to western power. A complete 180-degree flip in less than 100 years. Throughout the 1700s, the Chinese Imperial System was led by the Qing Empire under the rule of Emperor Yongzheng and his son Qianlong Emperor. Within the 73 years that the two of them led China, the country saw the most prosperous …show more content…
The warlords take action as the Qing Dynasty is beginning to fall. They stepped into this downward spiral of government to take control of different regions. These regions would, in turn, fight to see who would eventually control the centralized government located in Beijing. A Chinese nationalist party, led by Sun Yat-sen made an attempt to bring in a republican party within the Chinese government. Following the close of World War 1, Chinese nationalists saw the lack of individualism within China. This eventually brings the May Fourth Movement to China. The May Fourth Movement of 1919 was an attempt to reform the Chinese culture by incorporating Western ideals, such as science and democracy, into everyday living. The movement tried to implement Western-style education and strongly promoted individualism. Some Chinese still believed in and followed Confucianism, however, the more the Movement worked it’s way across the country, the more Confucianism was being rejected. Many felt as though China was being challenged by Western culture and Confucianism was not giving China the strength and power it needed to meet the …show more content…
British Imperialism took hold of the country first, seeing the prime opportunity that China offered in its natural resources. As the silver and opium trades continued on, the Americans caught wind. China was no match for these western powers. Not only did they each have a strong government backing, they also had a form of firepower that the Chinese were no match for. The Japanese took away China’s stronghold and influence in Korea, which changed the relationship between the two immensely. Needing a change, the Chinese attempted a brief reform in 1919, trying to compete with the western challenge of
Modern China
Dr. Gao
February 23, 2017
The Westernization of China
Modernization in China began back in the 1700s. In the 1800s, China not only encounters internal pressures within their own governing body, but they also experience major Western imperialist pressure. This pressure was enforced by militant power that China could not combat. Within a century, China went from a prominent civilization that governed itself to being subject to western power. A complete 180-degree flip in less than 100 years. Throughout the 1700s, the Chinese Imperial System was led by the Qing Empire under the rule of Emperor Yongzheng and his son Qianlong Emperor. Within the 73 years that the two of them led China, the country saw the most prosperous …show more content…
The warlords take action as the Qing Dynasty is beginning to fall. They stepped into this downward spiral of government to take control of different regions. These regions would, in turn, fight to see who would eventually control the centralized government located in Beijing. A Chinese nationalist party, led by Sun Yat-sen made an attempt to bring in a republican party within the Chinese government. Following the close of World War 1, Chinese nationalists saw the lack of individualism within China. This eventually brings the May Fourth Movement to China. The May Fourth Movement of 1919 was an attempt to reform the Chinese culture by incorporating Western ideals, such as science and democracy, into everyday living. The movement tried to implement Western-style education and strongly promoted individualism. Some Chinese still believed in and followed Confucianism, however, the more the Movement worked it’s way across the country, the more Confucianism was being rejected. Many felt as though China was being challenged by Western culture and Confucianism was not giving China the strength and power it needed to meet the …show more content…
British Imperialism took hold of the country first, seeing the prime opportunity that China offered in its natural resources. As the silver and opium trades continued on, the Americans caught wind. China was no match for these western powers. Not only did they each have a strong government backing, they also had a form of firepower that the Chinese were no match for. The Japanese took away China’s stronghold and influence in Korea, which changed the relationship between the two immensely. Needing a change, the Chinese attempted a brief reform in 1919, trying to compete with the western challenge of