Effects of Taiping rebellion - Research Paper Example

? EFFECTS OF THE TAIPING REBELLION Discussion Even though the Taipings held unrealistic ideals of establishing a socially equitable utopian society, their revolutionary revolt paved way for some rational changes in the Chinese society. For instance, the Taiping Revolt forced the Qing Dynasty to transfer its military power to warlords. This is because the imperial dynasty had to mobilize local Chinese armies to fight the rebelling Taipings.1 The rebellion also led to leadership decentralization in China; empowering local authorities politically and economically. Perhaps the revolt’s most significant impact was the arousal of animosity towards the Manchu dynasty leading to its downfall and consequent restoration of China as a people’s republic.2 These and other significant effects of the Taiping Rebellion are discussed further in subsequent sections. Immediate Effects of the Rebellion The most significant effect of the Taiping Revolt was loss of life. The rebellion is considered to be one of the most destructive civil wars experienced not only in China, but also around the world. Even though it is virtually impossible to establish the exact number of casualties that succumbed to the Taiping violence, most history books estimate that 20 million people died.3 Other sources even report that there is a possibility of this number having been tenfold. This was undoubtedly a significant loss even to those who survived the war, since they lost close relations and friends. In addition to actual deaths, the rebellion disrupted the lives of many Chinese people, especially the peasants. In the heightened euphoria of the war, they abandoned their farms and joined in the campaign against the ruling dynasty. Some got displaced from their farms as the revolt intensified. The Taipings also wreaked havoc wherever they went, destroying infrastructure and especially irrigation canals that were vital in sustaining agricultural production. As a result, famine struck the nation since neither labor nor agricultural infrastructure could sustain food production. Poverty, which had already affected the Chinese due to opium consumption and the Opium War some years, was accentuated by these conditions since the peasants had nothing to sell to earn income.4 Another immediate effect of the Taiping uprising was the fundamental change in the Chinese people’s way of thinking. This is because the Taipings adopted beliefs derived from a version of Christianity.5 The people were swept by the widespread propaganda of a heavenly kingdom. The Taipings made the Chinese people to discard their past beliefs in Confucianism and instead adopt beliefs from a derivative of Christianity. The Taiping rebellion also raised a nationalist force among large factions of China’s society. It fuelled the bitterness and animosity that many people had towards Manchu’s rule and the entire Qing dynasty. Therefore, the insurgence was instrumental in promoting nationalist spirit amongst Chinese people. Lastly, perpetrators and supporters of the Taiping uprising had political objectives that they intended to execute once they had established their utopian society. For instance, they aspired to bring exploitative practices characteristic of the Qing Dynasty to an end, by implementing military, political, social and economic reforms. They achieved this, albeit to a limited extent. The Taipings also altered the content of the exam that qualified candidates for the Mandarin gentry. The exam that was previously based on Confucian principles was changed to one founded in the Bible.6 The Taiping administration abolished the right to ownership of private property, declaring that all land would be allocated to the public by the government. The Taipings even replaced the lunar calendar with a solar one and granted women equal rights, making it possible for them to even take exams for admission to the gentry. The Taipings banned the Chinese custom of foot binding, in addition to gambling, opium, tobacco, prostitution, polygamy, alcohol consumption and slavery. However, the implementation framework for these provisions was inadequate, meaning that although the changes were practiced in some settings there was no guarantee that they would take effect in mainstream Chinese society.7 Long Term Effects of the Rebellion Although the Taiping rebellion failed after some time, it changed the functioning of the Chinese government and entire society. For example, the loss of life and devastation that occurred in Yangtze Valley deprived the region of the immense fertility and changed it into a desert for the subsequent century.8 As a result, the Land levies, upon which the Qing Dynasty relied extensively for revenues was no longer a viable money source. The administration was forced to rely entirely on Maritime taxes collected by port operators and on sale of administrative offices.9 Further, the gentry’s admission examination framework was adversely affected and it collapsed eventually. The only way that leaders could advance was through purchasing political ranks. Following the rebellion, the Emperor gave generals and provincial leaders authority to govern subjects and create armies to fight against Taipings. Once the latter collapsed, these leaders retained the power thus decentralizing bureaucracy and leadership in China. After the ripple effects of the Taiping rebellion led to the collapse of the Qing dynasty in the early 20th century, China was left with a command vacuum. Foreign traders and merchants started streaming into China, gradually gaining influence over the Chinese society. Japan’s influence grew swiftly and in no time, it gained dominant authority over China.10 As a result, the Chinese economy increasingly became Japan’s subsidy particularly in the Northern and Northeastern parts of the country. Despite their resistance to changes that had been introduced prior to the Opium War, the Chinese were forced into modern practices.11 Another significant aspect to note is that, the Taiping Revolt completely altered China’s outlook. This is because; every uprising that the revolution instigated drove the country closer to the world that China had tried too hard to avoid and from which the country sought to isolate itself. For example, even though the supporters of the Taiping revolt had never heard of communism, they surprisingly shared most political ideals. The Heavenly Kingdom they aspired to create did not deviate significantly from the communist utopia proposed by Karl Marx. They even supported and implemented the social equality notions or egalitarian concepts stipulated by Marx. Therefore, the rebellion led to complete elimination of leadership castes in the Chinese society. Even to date, China is a communist nation although not all inhabitants support this system.12 The Taiping insurgence also played a crucial role in bringing China’s isolationist phase to an end. The Chinese people got united and upheld national spirit in overcoming central bureaucracy and oppressive leadership. The subsequent revolts such as the Boxer and Nian rebellions, as well as, the Communist Revolution could have stemmed from ideas and emotions established by Taipings’ vision.13 The entry of new and strange things into China had initiated an uncomfortable shift from the country’ traditional ways to Western influences. Although the rebellion sought to finish this discomfort and restore China’s golden era the inverse happened. The Taipings only achieved to finish the age of emperor driven dynasties and open the country even more to influence by Western countries. This is primarily because they did not have comprehensive and sustainable implementation strategies for the social and economic policies they had projected for China as a utopian society.14 The Taiping uprising was as a result of the conflict between the Eastern and Western power factions.15 The Chinese people, on realizing that they were on the verge of becoming an integral part of the rest of the world, briefly retreated to their distinctive blend of contemporary idealism and traditional culture.16 For a short period of time, they kept off foreigners, and suppressed weak and ineffective emperors, while avoiding strange cultures. When Taipings were defeated, the Chinese resorted to creating yet another idealistic society, keenly following communism teachings by Mao Zedong. This clearly showed that the Chinese sought to return to an era when nature was the only aspect that threatened their unity and not unnecessary political strife. The people of China still portray some form of resistance to change, showing that it is them and not the governing authorities that can control the country’s future.17 In conclusion, it is evident that the Taiping uprising was a truly revolutionary event in China’s history. It opened up China to Western ideas, showing that although they appeared abstract, revolutionary thinking and actions can succeed in China. The rebellion also demonstrated that Confucianism ethics, which had been embedded in the Chinese society for centuries were actually vulnerable to upheaval. Notes Colin, Mackerras. China in Transformation: 1900-1949. (London: Addison Wesley Longman, 1998), 15. Fairbank, John et al. East Asia, Tradition and Transformation. (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1973), 164-166. Fairbank, John et al. East Asia, Tradition and Transformation. (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1973), 220. Fairbank, John et al. East Asia, Tradition and Transformation. (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1973), 214. Franke, Wolfgang. A Century of the Chinese Revolution 1851–1949. (South Carolina: University of South Carolina, 1980), 23-25. Jack, Beeching. The Chinese Opium Wars. (Boston, MA: Mariner Books, 1977), 153. Jack, Beeching. The Chinese Opium Wars. (Boston, MA: Mariner Books, 1977), 295. Jean, Chesneaux. Peasant Revolts in China 1840–1949. (London: Thames & Hudson, 1973), 47-50. Jen, Yu-wen. The Taiping Revolutionary Movement. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1973) 43-45. Jonathan, Spence. God’s Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. (New York: W. W. Norton, 1996), 15. Michael, Franz. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents. (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1966), 3. Michael, Franz. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents. (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1966), 23. Richard, Wertz. “Exploring Chinese History: The Taiping Rebellion”. Accessed November 29, 2013. http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/contents/03pol/c03s02.html Robert, Speer. Missions and Modern History. (Westminster Press, 1904), 24. Vincent, Shih. The Taiping Ideology: Its Sources, Interpretations, and Influences. (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1972), 406. Bibliography Beeching, Jack. The Chinese Opium Wars. Boston, MA: Mariner Books. 1977. Chesneaux, Jean. Peasant Revolts in China 1840–1949. London: Thames & Hudson. 1973. Fairbank, John et al. East Asia, Tradition and Transformation. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. 1973. Franz, Michael, and Chung-li Chang. The Taiping Rebellion: History and Documents. Seattle: University of Washington Press. 1966. Mackerras, Colin. China in Transformation: 1900-1949. London: Addison Wesley Longman.  1998. Shih, Vincent. The Taiping Ideology: Its Sources, Interpretations, and Influences. Seattle: University of Washington Press. 1972. Speer, Robert. Missions and Modern History. Westminster Press. 1904. Spence, Jonathan. God’s Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan. New York: W. W. Norton. 1996. Wertz, Richard. “Exploring Chinese History: The Taiping Rebellion”. Accessed November 29, 2013. http://www.ibiblio.org/chinesehistory/contents/03pol/c03s02.html Wolfgang, Franke. A Century of the Chinese Revolution 1851–1949. South Carolina: University of South Carolina. 1980. Yu-wen, Jen. The Taiping Revolutionary Movement. New Haven: Yale University Press. 1973. Read More