Title taiping-rebellion-internal-assignment-nature-and-historiography.pdf ✅

Taiping Rebellion Internal Assignment: Nature and historiography History Of Modern China (1840-1960) (University of Delhi) Scan to open on Studocu Studocu is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university Downloaded by TUSHAR ARSD ([email protected]) lOMoARcPSD|34172904
Taiping Rebellion, Causes, Nature and Significance Internal Assignment- Sem V History of Modern China (1840-1960) Group members- ● Archana Singh- 1293 ● Arya kumari- 1294 ● Kumari Shashi Prabha – 812 INTRODUCTION In the middle of the nineteenth century, the Chinese empire was rigorously shaken by a series of popular movements that were both political and social. The series began between the two Opium Wars and some continued until 1875. They included the Taiping revolution, the Nian rebellion in North China, the Moslem risings in the West, and many other minor movements, usually led by secret societies. By 1860 most of the empire's eighteen provinces had more or less been affected by at least one of the rebellions. The Taiping Rebellion which turns out to be the most important one broke out across most of South and Central China in the middle of the 19th century. It was not only the most comprehensive rebellion in China before the 20th century but also one of the greatest peasant rebellions in world history so far. It lasted for almost 13 years is from 1851 to 1864 encompassing many provinces and a population of more than a hundred million. This extensive rebellion also nearly brought the demise of the 200-year- old Ch'ing dynasty. In the words of Karl Marx, it was a ‘formidable revolution’ and indeed the movement challenged not only Manchu authority but also the traditional Chinese Confucian beliefs that were the foundation of its authority. Ultimately, when the Rebellion was crushed, it had taken a toll on more than 20 million lives and left many of the richest and most populated provinces of China, devasted and deserted. Apart from the downfall of ‘Ching Dynasty, The Taiping Rebellion was important for another reason as well. It stood at the juncture of two epochs in the history of China. On the grounds of its origins, its ideology, its programme, as well as its inherent weaknesses, it contained elements of both the old social, political and cultural order as well as of the new China that was in the making. It represented the last of the series of great peasant rebellions that had characterized traditional Chinese history, while on the other hand it can be seen as a harbinger of the nationalistic, ideologically motivated revolutionary movements of the 20th century. Downloaded by TUSHAR ARSD ([email protected]) lOMoARcPSD|34172904
ORIGIN AND BACKGROUND In the words of Jean Chesneaux "The Taiping Movement was characterised by 3 of its feature” which was national, religious and social: • Nationalist- Anti-Manchu as it attacked the ruling dynasty as "foreign and barbarous". • Religious in the sense that it vehemently attacked Confucianism; combined popular Chinese cults and borrowed ideas from Christianity. • The social protest movement in the sense that it not only shook the structure of feudalism in China by offering plans of changing the agrarian relations but also stood for the emancipation of women As per the traditional Chinese belief and Confucian theory, it is said that internal disturbance, be it political like peasant discontent, administrative corruption or even natural disasters and external disturbances like foreign invasions occurred only when an existing power was declining. These disturbances then manifested themselves in the withdrawal of the Mandate of Heaven. On the same lines after 150 years of Ch'ing rule, symptoms of social and economic crisis and political disorder began to manifest themselves in a significant way in early 19th century China. There were several internal factors that provoked the Taiping movement. ● Rise in China’s population: China saw an increase in the population (200% between 1741 and 1850) with no rise in arable land (only 35% between 1661 and 1833). This heavy burden on resources led to the rise in commodity prices, fragmentation of inheritance leading to tremendous debt and tenancy among the peasantry, ruining of small landholders. By the second half of the 19th century, 60% of the people in China had no land. This in turn led to the concentration of land in the hands of the ruling elite, and the consequent displacement of the peasantry from the rural areas. Such issues of discontentment definitely paved the way for an uprising. ● Rivalry between different racial groups (Hakka and Bendi): There existed rivalry between the non-Chinese population (such as the Yao), who had settled in the Guangxi region of South China before the Han arrived, the first Chinese settlers (the Bendi), the one who had taken over the best land, and the Chinese families (the Hakka) who had come from Central Downloaded by TUSHAR ARSD ([email protected]) lOMoARcPSD|34172904
China at a much later date and had been banished to the poorer land. Relations were particularly unpleasant between the Hakka and the Bendi. A sense of alienation from their surroundings characterized the Hakka community from which emerged the founder of the Taiping Movement, Hung Hsiu Chuan. This social friction eventually contributed to the growth of secret societies like the Triads (Tien Ti Hui) which flourished under such conditions. Also, the initial social base of the Taipings was from among the Hakka community itself. ● Role of Secret Societies: The members of the secret societies were mostly from the discontent strata of the rural society particularly the marginal members, who were relatively mobile and advanced, such as travelling artisans, failed scholars, and smugglers. Therefore, their ideology primarily focuses upon peasant traditions of equality and was involved in a political-military struggle against the central power—the Manchu dynasty in Peking and restoration of Ming. Moreover, many members and leaders of the Triad and other secret societies in the South later joined the Taiping between 1848 and l850 because of ideological similarity in early stages. ● Effects of Opium wars: The First Opium War and its subsequent treaties especially the Treaty of Nanking through which much of the foreign trade which was formerly centred in this country shifted north to Shanghai. It had also adversely affected the native handicraft industry. This increased problems, with looting by the foreign invaders, a heavy war indemnity, worsening of opium smuggling and a massive influx of foreign goods. The crisis was more highlighted by the currency and fiscal problem created due to the impact of the west. Throughout the 19th century imports, especially opium kept on increasing, causing a huge outflow of silver from China. This in turn resulted in a change in the internal value of silver to copper leading to the aggravated financial problems of the Chinese peasantry, whose taxes and rents were calculated in silver but whose income was based on devalued copper. Discontent among the lower-class people led to the floating population of adventurers and desperadoes ready for any kind of action. Therefore, apart from the Hakka community, now the Taiping rebellion came more from the strata of displaced peddlers, boatmen, coolies and others rather than from the ranks of the peasantry. Downloaded by TUSHAR ARSD ([email protected]) lOMoARcPSD|34172904