European Imperialism has greatly affected many nations and areas of the world. The whole continents of South America and Africa were colonized, and the effects of this colonization is still here today. European Imperialism fundamentallu altered the Chinese civilization by replacing the monarchy, and introducing the Chinese people to new technologies.
Replacement of Dynastic MonarchyImage result for taiping rebellion
European Imperialism encouraged the replacement of the thousands of years old dynastic monarchy in China.
Repeated Qing interactions with the Europeans that ended in failure tested the peasants, who revolted in rebellions such as the Taiping rebellion. After the Sino-Japanese War and other losses of the territories, the peasants saw this as the downfall of the Qing and demanded reform. The new governments were influenced by the west. Sun Yat-Sen, the leader of the Nationalists believed in a democracy and even hd a first-hand experience of European influence. Mao Zedong, the leader of the CCP, was a communist and was influenced by the Russian Vladimir Lenin.
New Technology for China
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After the devastating loss of the Opium War, the Qing Emperor created factories and dockyards to create modern weapons and ships. The failure of Ancient Chinese technology against modern technology of the Europeans showed the Chinese that they needed to industrialize and reform. These technologies would later help the Chinese fight off the Japanese during WWII and later battle each other for power.
European influence can be seen today. Even though China was not colonized by European powers, its relationship had the exploitative elements of imperialism. However, European imperialism positively and negatively affected the Chinese people.
Comprehension Questions:
Why did the peasants demand reform?
How different would China be if the emperors were still in