A military coalition of eight nations, Japan, Russia, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary, and the United States, arrived in China in August of 1900 and easily defeated the Boxers and Qing forces. The Boxer Rebellion and its defeat can be seen as one of many factors that led to the eventual collapse of China's last imperial dynasty in 1912. Updates? The troops captured Beijing in August 1900, and, after extensive discussions, the rebellion officially ended when the Boxer Protocol was signed on September 7, 1901. Meiji Restoration Effects & Causes | What was the Main Goal of Japanese Modernization? Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The Yihequan (Chinese: 義和拳; pinyin: Yìhéquán), or Fists of Harmony and Justice (also named Yihetuan (Chinese: 義和團; pinyin: Yìhétuán), League of Harmony and Justice), was a Chinese secret society known for having triggered the Boxer Rebellion. The fist spark that set the Boxer Rebellion in motion centered on resentment over missionary activity. AP European History: Homework Help Resource, AP European History - Russia After World War I: Homework Help, Who was Leon Trotsky? As a result of the religious, social, and other causes listed above, the Boxer Rebellion occurred from 1899 to 1901. Global History II. By the 1890s, many Chinese had come to resent the spread of Christian missionaries and their influence. The Boxer Uprising or Boxer Rebellion was a Chinese rebellion against foreign influence in areas such as trade, politics, religion, and technology that occurred in China during the final years of the Qing Dynasty from November 1899 to September 7, 1901. The industries and commerce in China were destroyed by the inflow of cheap foreign goods. The German minister was murdered, and the other foreign ministers and their families and staff, together with hundreds of Chinese Christians, were besieged in their legation quarters and in the Roman Catholic cathedral in Beijing. The principal causes of the Boxer Rebellion were economic issues and the disputes between the Chinese and foreign missionaries in the wake of the Opium Wars (1839-1842 and 1856-1860). Likewise, railroads, Christian churches, embassies, and other foreign property became targeted for destruction. It is understandable to why the Boxers rebelled, there was a compound of religious, cultural and national frustration. The international forces then divided Beijing into districts, with each nation administering one of these areas. The years between 1907 and 1911 saw six other uprisings that the Qing forces were able to crush. China was not allowed to import weapons for two years. The post-war agreement was called the Boxer Protocol. SQ 7. Japan’s occupation of China led to its alignment with the Chinese Nationalist government against the rising communist revolution. At its core, the rebellion was a grass-roots movement that sought to expel the unwanted influence of Western nations. Thought the presentation & interpretation made the subject accessible...". How long should you meditate as a Buddhist? After breaching the city’s outer defences, Gaselee’s multinational force advanced towards the Legation Quarter on 14-15 August. While that didn’t happen, China had to a pay over $300 million in reparations. We strive for accuracy and fairness. They did, however, make it clear to the Boxers that the Chinese imperial government was supportive of the Western religions' presence in China. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". The outcome of the Boxer Rebellion was a reversion to the pre-Boxer Rebellion social and religious policies. To that end, the Empress Dowager Cixi, who had backed the Boxer Rebellion, initiated a series of reforms designed to turn China into a constitutional monarchy. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Taxation policies were revamped and tariffs were establish enabling China to raise the funds needed for reparation payments to the various Western nations. The United States fought in the Boxer Rebellion to protect its citizens and those of its allies from being harmed by the Boxers. Where did the Boxer Rebellion get its name? But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. On Sept.21, 1900 Russian forces seized Jilin and the Liaodong peninsula. © copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. In the end, however, the Boxers were defeated. Answer: Causes of the Boxer Rebellion: During the Qing Dynasty, the United States and Europe exerted formidable economic, political and religious influence in China. After extensive discussions, a protocol was finally signed in September 1901, ending the hostilities and providing for reparations to be made to the foreign powers. It also resulted in all anti-foreign groups, including the Boxers,. Japanese and Russian forces in China, 1900. Eventually, the Boxer Rebellion lost momentum and came to an end. What policies led to the Boxer Rebellion? Between 1899 and 1902, the British Army fought a bitter colonial war against the Boers in South Africa. The Boxer Rebellion had a significant impact on Chinese society. Her flight was explained as being a tour of inspection but this explanation fooled no one. At the end of the 19th century, there was widespread indignation across China at growing economic hardship, compounded by decades of humiliating trade and political concessions granted to foreign powers by the ruling Qing dynasty. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Another provision allowed foreign troops to protect the legations of the Western Powers in Beijing and that there would be a special area reserved for their use under exclusive allied control, in which Chinese shall not have the right to reside. In 1900, British and Indian troops joined an international expedition sent to relieve the diplomatic quarter of Beijing, which was under siege by members of a Chinese secret society known as the 'Boxers' and their Imperial Chinese allies. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. What was the effect of the Boxer Rebellion on China? However, the Chinese suffered a series of defeats, first at Tientsin in July, then at Peitsang and Yangtsun on 5-6 August. Governor Yü Xian who headed the Boxer Movement during the attacks on the foreign legations and nine other were executed, but two other major players, expected to be executed, General Dong Fuxiang (董福祥) whose soldiers killed the Japanese secretary Akira Sugiyama (杉山 彬) and Prince Zaiyi (載漪), were spared and sent away from Beijing. Create your account, 27 chapters | Because of these woes, many young men and women across China found good cause to organize a rebellion to expel foreigners and strengthen Chinese society. But he was detained in Germany with his troops. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. », OCR A Level History Thematic study and historical interpretations: Y301 - 26 May », Western Imperialism- placed China in a series of 'unequal treaties', foreigners treated local people as inferiors, Sino- Japanese war in 1894 acquired 4 treaty ports from the Chinese, British control over Hong Kong during the 'scramble for concessions', Foreign devilspercieved as sabotaging the Chinese people- series of Harvest failures and a mixture of droughts and floods, Theywanted to reclaim their independence of Western control, Strarted their attacks on foreign Christians, Chinese Christians and Chinese workers for foreigners in Shandong province, Thousands were massacred as the Boxers advanced to Beijing, The capital was reached in 1900 where Cixi announced the Qing's support for the Boxers and declared war on foreign nations in China, Cixi could not develop an adequate army to challenge a international army of 20000, Boxers crumbled and Cixi fled, China had to pay reperations of $450 million and have a number of military bases destroyed. Three battalions of marines,the II/9th,and the I and II/11th RIMa which were stationed in French Indochina were sent to China. The added economic concessions given American corporate interests added to the lingering resentment against foreign imperialist powers that provided the Chinese Communists an idealized foil against which to rally the support of the masses for revolution against the corrupt and exploitive status quo. By some estimates, several hundred foreigners and several thousand Chinese Christians were killed during this time. By the end of the 19th century, Western nations and Japan had forced China’s ruling Qing dynasty to accept wide foreign control over the country’s economic affairs. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Latest answer posted November 25, 2019 at 3:32:54 AM. While initially the Qing dynasty, led by Empress Dowager Cixi, fought against the Boxer rebels, they eventually joined forces with them to fight against Western citizens and armies. In the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901), a violent anti-foreign and anti-Christian uprising, the fighting had largely ended with the relief of the besieged Legation Quarter in Peking on the afternoon of 14 August 1900. . The rebellion was able to gain wide support amongst the large populations of poor and unemployed in northern China. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Finally, in early June an international relief force of some 2,100 men was dispatched from the northern port of Tianjin to Beijing. Once the Boxer Rebellion had reached Beijing, Cixi was forced into a decision. This group practised a form of martial arts that resembled boxing, at least to Western eyes. The principal causes of the Boxer Rebellion were economic issues and the disputes between the Chinese and foreign missionaries in the wake of the Opium Wars (1839-1842 and 1856-1860). Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. If you found an error in the resource, please let us know so we can correct it by filling out this form. The Boxer Rebellion was an anti-Christian, anti-foreign uprising in China, and it was shut down with aid from the U.S., Italy, Japan, Russia, Britain, France, Austria-Hungary, and Germany. They were not initially concerned with directly attacking the government in the beginning. By terms of the agreement, forts protecting Beijing were to be destroyed, Boxer and Chinese government officials involved in the uprising were to be punished, foreign legations were permitted to station troops in Beijing for their defense, China was prohibited from importing arms for two years and it agreed to pay more than $330 million in reparations to the foreign nations involved. In 2009 while teaching English at Sichuan University, Welsh was asked to give a speech where he was introduced to the audience as a “pioneer of Chinese American relations” as a result of his cooperative work in international banking during the Deng Xiaoping era. From this $10.6 million and the original program, Qinghua University (清华大学) in Beijing was created. Of the various troops involved in the defence, Poole noted that the British 'were naturally the smartest’ and the Americans 'a serviceable looking lot’. ›, Getting Started: Resources to Enhance Instruction, Getting Started: Resources for Learning in Remote Classrooms, Unit 9.4: Political Powers and Achievements, Unit 9.5: Social and Cultural Growth and Conflict, Unit 9.7: Transformation of Western Europe and Russia, Unit 9.8: Africa and the Americas Pre-1600, Unit 10.2: Enlightenment, Revolution, and Nationalism, Unit 10.3: Causes and Effects of the Industrial Revolution, Unit 10.5: Unresolved Global Conflict (1914-1945), Unit 10.6: Unresolved Global Conflict (1945-1991), Unit 10.7: Decolonization and Nationalism, Unit 10.8: Tensions Between Cultural Traditions and Modernization, Unit 10.9: Globalization and the Changing Environment, Resources: Regents Prep and Writing Resources for the Global II Exam, Regents Prep: Framework USH Exam: Regents Prep: Framework USH Exam, Add a Copy of Resource to my Google Drive, Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). They relied upon rigorous physical and military training as well as spiritual and religious practices. The Boxer Rebellion had an important effect on the Chinese community. ©2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved, https://www.history.com/topics/china/boxer-rebellion. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). What were the negative effects of Japanese imperialism? Largely made up of poor and unemployed young Chinese men, the society was labeled 'The Boxers' by Western newspapers in reference to the military exercises they practiced. How did the geography of China affect the development of early civilization there? Related to this cause was the supposed ineptness of Empress Dowager Cixi and the Qing dynasty. The rebels were known as the "Boxers" in . May 1907 saw the Huangguang Uprising (黃岡起義) in Chaozhou in Guangdong Province, the Huizhou-Qinuhu Uprising (惠州七女湖起義) in Guangdong in June, the Anqing Uprising (安慶起義) in July in Anhui Province against the current Anhui Governor, and the Qinzhou Uprising (欽州防城起義) in September that was a protest against heavy local taxation in that area, and finally in December of that year, the Zhengnanguan Uprising (鎮南關起事) near the Vietnam border that forced Sun Yat-sen to flee China. Other symptoms of this fatal illness of the Qing dynasty were the various uprisings that began in October 1901 with the Huizhou Uprising (惠州起義) that Sun himself had ordered. Effects of the Boxer Rebellion . Latest answer posted April 25, 2021 at 2:42:42 PM. Although the Boxers came from various parts of society, many were peasants, particularly from Shandong province, which had been struck by natural disasters such as famine and flooding. Gaselee's subsequent appointment was largely a result of the Western powers' refusal to be led by the higher-ranking Japanese general Yamaguchi Motomi. I feel like it’s a lifeline. Between 1849 and 1947, British and Indian soldiers undertook a series of punitive expeditions against the fiercely independent tribesmen of this wild and mountainous region. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Such reforms included changes to the complicated civil service exam and the introduction of a more modern education system. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Boxer-Rebellion, Old Dominion University - The Boxer Rebellion, 1899-1901, Military History Encyclopedia - Boxer Rebellion, Australian War Memorial - Boxer Rebellion, National Army Museum - The Boxer Rebellion, Constitutional Rights Foundation - The Boxer Uprising in China, Globalseurity.org - Boxer Rebellion - 1900, Boxer Rebellion - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Their original aim was the destruction of the dynasty and also of the Westerners who had a privileged position in China. U.S. Marines in the Boxer Rebellion. Where did the Boxer Rebellion get its name? Latest answer posted February 23, 2021 at 11:32:11 AM. Between 1839 and 1842, British forces fought a war in China that benefitted drug smugglers.