Boxer Rebellion
By:Deanna L, Noah G, Donyae M, Ben D, Peter S
The Rebellion
Beginning in 1898 In 1900, in what became known as the Boxer Rebellion (or the Boxer Uprising), a Chinese secret organization called the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fists led an uprising in northern China against the spread of Western and Japanese influence there.
At first, the Boxers wanted to destroy the Ch’ing dynasty (which had ruled china for over 250 years) and wanted to rid china of all foreign influence. When the Empress Dowager backed the boxers, the boxers turned solely to ridding china of foreigners.
By the end of the 19th century, the Western powers and Japan had forced China’s ruling Qing dynasty to accept wide foreign control over the country’s economic affairs. In the Opium Wars (1839-42, 1856-60), popular rebellions and the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95), China had fought to resist the foreigners, but it lacked a modernized military and suffered millions of casualties
Australia, France, Germany Great Britain, Italy and Russia all claimed exclusive trading rights to certain parts of China.
As the Western powers and Japan organized a multinational force to crush the rebellion, the siege stretched into weeks, and the diplomats, their families and guards suffered through hunger and degrading conditions as they fought to keep the Boxers at bay. By some estimates, several hundred foreigners and several thousand Chinese Christians were killed during this time. On August 14, after fighting its way through northern China, an international force of approximately 20,000 troops from eight nations
At first, the Boxers wanted to destroy the Ch’ing dynasty