The Boxer Rebellion was a large scale antiforeign and anti-Christian uprising that occurred in China between 1899 and 1900. The uprising was led by a secret society known as the “Boxers” or “Righteous Harmony Fists” and had the support of the imperial court. The underlying cause of the rebellion was a mix of economic, political, religious, and racial issues that had been building up for many years prior to its outbreak.
At the root of the Boxer Rebellion was a general dissatisfaction with western influence and control in China. This resentment had been building since the 1842 Opium War when China was forced to open itself up to Western trade and threats of military force. As a result of this pressure, western powers began to gain various concessions and privileges within China, such as the right to station armies in specific areas, the right to conduct commercial business freely, and the right to acquire property and resources. In addition, missionaries were allowed to spread Christianity throughout the country, leading to many Chinese feeling as though their cultural and religious beliefs were being undermined.
The economic situation in China at the time was also a factor in contributing to the rise of the Boxer Movement. China had recently suffered several years of crop failures and famine, causing unrest among the peasantry who felt that their livelihoods were threatened. As a result, this discontent was directed towards the western countries who were seen as the root cause of their suffering due to the unequal treaties and unfair trading practices that they had imposed.
The period of 1898 -1901 was one of significant turmoil in China and it was at this time that the Boxer Movement began to emerge with the slogan “Support the Qing. Exterminate the Foreigners.” The Boxers believed in a combination of martial arts, occult rituals and spiritual training which they believed would make them invulnerable to foreign weapons and would help them to achieve their goal of expelling the foreigner from China.
The Boxer Rebellion was only able to gain traction when it gained the explicit support of the Empress Cixi and her inner circle of advisors. They saw the Boxers as a means to rid the country of foreign influence and restore the power of the Qing dynasty. They sought to rally the population against the western powers, exploiting popular resentment of their unequal treaties and interference in Christian missionary activities.
Despite the government’s backing, the rebellion was eventually put down by an international coalition of eight countries, including Britain, France, Japan and Russia. Chinese forces were also sent to quell the uprising which resulted in a two-month siege of Beijing where many of the Boxers were killed.
In the aftermath of the rebellion, the growing western presence in China was made even more entrenched as the defeated Qing was forced to sign the Boxer Protocol which granted additional privileges and rights to the foreign powers and indemnified them financially. This further fueled discontent and resentment of the foreign influences in China which has continued to this day.
In conclusion, the Boxer Rebellion was an uprising driven by a mixture of economic, political, religious, and racial grievances that had been steadily growing in China for some time. The rebellion failed to gain its aims but it did illustrate the growing displeasure of many Chinese people with the increasing dominance of foreign powers in their country. The legacy of the rebellion lives on in China’s continued resistance to outside influence and its fiercely protective attitude of its cultural identity.