Response To Western Imperialism
The Chinese experience with Western imperialism was a negative one. The Opium wars and Western intervention in Chinese affairs greatly embarrassed the Chinese monarchy, to the extent that ordinary Chinese were disgusted with the Chinese emperor for not fighting off what they called were 'foreign Devils'. At the same time, China dealt with internal problems, the Taiping rebellion, which the Chinese worried would get foreign assistance to overthrow the monarchy. The Chinese monarchy became very reluctant and hostile when it came to dealing with the West.
On the opposite side of experiences with Western imperialism was that of Japan, and the U.S commander Perry who treated the Japanese a lot better than the Europeans had treated the Chinese. The failure of the Tokugawa shogunate to expel the foreigners led to the restoration of the full autocratic government under the Meiji Emperor.
Realizing that Japan had to modernize to prevent what had happened in China, the Japanese embraced western technology, sending its elites to Western universities, learning British naval tactics, and using Prussian military advisers to train their army. The Japanese war machine modernized overnight, defeating the Russian navy in 1905, and the Russian army at Mukden over the Russian seizure of Port Arthur.
While the Chinese monarchy was condemned for its failure to deal with Western imperialism and was overthrown in 1911, the Japanese went from strength to strength - even contributing supplies to the Allied war effort in WW1.
On the opposite side of experiences with Western imperialism was that of Japan, and the U.S commander Perry who treated the Japanese a lot better than the Europeans had treated the Chinese. The failure of the Tokugawa shogunate to expel the foreigners led to the restoration of the full autocratic government under the Meiji Emperor.
Realizing that Japan had to modernize to prevent what had happened in China, the Japanese embraced western technology, sending its elites to Western universities, learning British naval tactics, and using Prussian military advisers to train their army. The Japanese war machine modernized overnight, defeating the Russian navy in 1905, and the Russian army at Mukden over the Russian seizure of Port Arthur.
While the Chinese monarchy was condemned for its failure to deal with Western imperialism and was overthrown in 1911, the Japanese went from strength to strength - even contributing supplies to the Allied war effort in WW1.