Page 54 - History of War - Issue 10-14

TRIGGER POINT

Boxers standing
proudly together
during the war

and legal immunities. Nationalist sentiments “ EUROPEAN POWERS HELD SO MUCH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL
on China, foreigners had special privileges

spread, spawning the Boxer movement. CONTROL THAT OPPOSITION TO FOREIGN IMPERIALISM WAS
The Boxers were primarily peasants from
China that had been affected by several natural RIFE ACROSS THE COUNTRY”
Shandong, a coastal province in north-eastern
disasters in the late 1890s – fi rst famine, then
fl ooding. As with other regions, Shandong had alluring to the young peasant village men and The governor of Shandong began enrolling
handed over territorial and commercial control their numbers steadily grew. Though women bands of Boxers as militia, giving them a semi-
to European nations, in particular Germany, were not permitted to join, some formed their offi cial stature. By late 1899 they were violently
which dominated railways, factories and own groups, such as the Red Lanterns, who attacking Chinese Christians and Western
mines in the province. While the natives grew were reputed to also possess supernatural missionaries with little or no discretion. In
poorer, the German powers prospered, so the powers and later helped wounded Boxers at the January the following year, Empress Dowager
peasants banded together and revolt was only Battle of Tietsin. Cixi, who had taken control of the Qing Dynasty,
a matter of time. At fi rst, the outbreak of violence was driven declared public support for the Boxers. The
The Society of Righteous and Harmonious by unrest over Western Christian missionaries. foreigners, who had been able to manipulate the
Fists, or Yihequan, was thought to be an In 1897, a mystery band of armed men Empress’s predecessor more easily, protested.
offshoot of another secret organisation, the attacked one such Germany settlement in She had not only announced her support for
Eight Trigrams Society, which had attempted Juye County, Shandong, and killed two priests. the Boxer movement, but also made an offi cial
rebellions against the Qing Dynasty in the late In 1898, Boxers attacked a Liyuatun village, declaration of war against the foreign powers.
18th and early 19th Centuries. It’s not diffi cult where Christians had transformed a temple By spring of 1900, the Boxers had gradually
to see the connection: though their allegiances into a church. That same year, anti-foreign spread from Shandong to the Beijing countryside.
would change, initially the Yihequan set to conservatives gained control in the Chinese Now they attacked and killed Christians and
destroy the Qing as well as the foreigners. government and persuaded the Boxers to side burned churches. At the request of foreign
Westerners dubbed them Boxers based on with the Qing Dynasty and focus their aggression diplomats, over 400 troops from eight different
the martial arts and calisthenics they practiced. solely on the foreigners they considered a threat countries arrived to defend the Western
Their possession rituals were exciting and to traditional Chinese culture. embassies. On 5 June, the Boxers responded by

1839 1842 1842 1856 1858

THE FIRST OPIUM WAR BEGINS THE WAR ENDS THE TREATY OF NANKING THE SECOND OPIUM WAR BEGINS TREATIES OF TIENTSIN & AIGUN
China’s self-imposed British ships defeat the Later in August the treaty Attempting to renegotiate the Treaties signed with Britain,
isolation and refusal to meet Chinese on the Yangtze, at is signed. It’s negotiated Treaty of Nanking, the British France, the US and Russia
British trade demands ends the mouth of one of China’s as British ships are poised want to open up all of China to attempt to end the Second
in the outbreak of war. Some major trade routes. The and ready to attack the city foreign trade. Confl ict erupts Opium War, but confl ict
claim the war is as much British then occupy Shanghai of Nanjing. This marks the following a dispute over a breaks out again when the
about Britain’s reputation and the war offi cially ends start of Britain’s economic former British ship seized by Xianfeng emperor is swayed
and honour as anything else. in August. supremacy over China. China from pirates. from his position.

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