Boxer Rebellion Research Paper

562 Words3 Pages

Throughout history, there have been many uprisings and wars fought against tyrant governments, leading to millions of deaths. Two major uprisings in the eastern countries happen to have fallen in Asia, more specifically China, and modern-day Tanzania. The uprising in China that will be mentioned in this essay is The Boxer Uprising, more commonly referred to as The Boxer Rebellion. The African uprising used in this essay is the Maji-Maji Uprising or Rebellion. Even though they take place in two completely different locations, both were uprisings against colonialism, both had spiritual roots, and both ended up losing in a valiant effort.
While there have been many rebellions against colonialism, the Boxer Rebellion and the Maji-Maji Uprising are two very specific cases. The Boxer Rebellion was fought against western powers and the spread of western beliefs. However, the Maji-Maji Uprising was specifically directed towards the strict German rule in parts of Africa. While they very in targets, both rebellions were fighting for similar reasons; to gain control of their beliefs and practices. According to the article, Maji Maji Uprising …show more content…

The Boxers were a Spiritual group who dated back hundreds of years before the Rebellion, while the Africans were propelled by a prophet. The Boxers gained their name because of their spiritual practices, in which one would call upon the gods to inhabit their bodies while performing certain types of martial arts, leaving them invulnerable to enemies (The Boxer Rebellion 1898-1901). Likewise, a prophet named Kinjikitile Ngwale appeared in Africa preaching of a protection against enemy weapons. His cure was called Maji Maji, which translates to sacred water, and was said to repel German bullets (Maji Maji Uprising 1905-1907). So, while being protected by a sacred and holy power, both groups were ready for