History of China from 1600 to 1987 - Page 8

History of China: A College Paper By Paul Noll

J. The Boxer Rebellion

Nationalism grew in China and in 1899 the Boxers staged a rebellion against foreigners with help from the beleaguered Qing state. In 1900 a multinational force of 20,000 troops from Japan, Russia, Britain, America and France crushed the rebellion and forced new concessions from the Qing. The foreigners demanded reparations of $333 million, a staggering sum considering the entire income of the Qing state amounted to about $160 million. With interest, the amount would amount to $982,238,150. Sun tried to exploit the situation, but being under financed, the Qing quickly suppressed their efforts.

A 19-year-old student Zou Rong wrote a short book entitled The Revolutionary Army in 1903. He declared that the Chinese should learn from the Western examples that it becomes possible to overthrow domestic tyranny and free a country from foreign domination if the people become conscious of their unity and struggle together. As Zou wrote:

"I do not begrudge repeating over and over again that internally we are the slaves of the Manchu and suffering from their tyranny, externally we are being harassed by the Powers, and we are doubly enslaved. The reason why our scared Han race, descendants of the Yellow Emperor, should support revolutionary independence, arises precisely from the question of whether our race will go under and be exterminated. .... You are qualified in every way for revolutionary independence."

Sun had thousands of copies of this book made to distribute to his supporters. Others studying in Europe and America brought additional ideas back to China. Another student Yan Fu applied Darwin's theories of evolution to the fate of social units. Yan also translated such influential works such as Thomas Huxley's Evolution and Ethics, John Stuart Mill's On Liberty, Montesquieu's Defense of the Spirit of the Laws, and Adam Smith's Wealth of the Nation. Yan managed to introduce an electrifying range of ideas to China's students.

In the year between 1905 and 1911 the Qing state edged towards constitutional reforms. The attempted revolution in Russia excited some Chinese who saw a parallel between the Tsars and the Qing Emperors. In 1906 a summary and partial translation of Marx's Communist Manifesto appeared in China. Between 1906 and 1908 Sun directed or instigated at least seven uprisings against the Qing. In October 9, 1911, a group of revolutionaries accidentally exploded a bomb while making some bombs. Authorities investigated and executed some on the spot. They got a list of army soldiers and others enrolled in the group. In an attempt to save people loyal to their cause, they launched their revolt. Soon Qing Army groups mutinied and shortly the battles ended. By January 1, 1912 Sun Yat-sen the government declared provisional president.