The Boxer Rebellion
Rebellion or Resistance ?
What is the Boxer Rebellion?
The Boxer Rebellion was an armed uprising of Chinese peasants against western imperialist powers and western leaning Chinese officials
What exactly was going on in China?
- The ruling Qing dynasty had been in decline for decades in the face of European expansion and internal rebellion.
- European powers had been given concessions of land and had de facto rule in these areas. Chinese laws did not apply to Europeans
- The economy of China was in shambles due to inefficient tax collection, and an inability to compete on a global scale. Famine and unemployment were rife
- Secret societies that operated without the consent of the government grew up among the disposed. One of these societies known as the Society of Harmonious Fists became known as the Boxers to the west
- In April of 1900 peasants, led by the Boxers rioted and attacked Europeans, Chinese Christians, and foreign businesses.
A who's who of the Boxer Rebellion
Dowager Empress Cixi
Dowager Empress Cixi is the effective ruler of China at the time of the Boxer Rebellion. She was a traditionalist and wary of the European powers, she put her support behind the Boxers. http://www.sacu.org/cixi.html
Edwin Conger
Edwin Conger was the American diplomat to china, at the outbreak of the Rebellion he organized the defense of the foreign legations.
Alfred Gaselee
Alfred Gaselee was the general who led the rescue mission to relieve the foreign legations which was accomplished on August 21 1900
The Boxer Rebellion l HISTORY OF CHINA
A quick 8 minute overview
55 Days At Peking (1963) - Imperialist Marches.