Session 2 (9/30) - From Monarchy to Republic

[Khrystle San Diego]

The Treaty of Nanjing was unequivocally favored the government of the British and left the Chinese to fend for themselves. As a result, the British were able to access China. This left China to suffer financially as they had to pay the British government for any of the costs related to the British expeditions, the debts incurred by the Chinese merchants, and also the ransoms of the British citizens. Because of this treaty, Hong Kong was now under the leadership of the British government. Although China was given the ability to participate in more trade relations, they had to lose much more in comparision to the British government. 

[Khrystle San Diego]

Thinking about how unequal treaties made a significant impact on how China did business with other countries, I am reminded of how students can relate this to personal experiences specifically when they were given unfair rules or treated unfairly by other people. We can also relate this to our current reading in our classroom about unequal rights in government. My students are particularly intereted in the women's suffrage movement in the United States. I can relate this event in U.S. history to how China was able to participate in global trade expeditions, but had to pay a significant cost. I can show that the women in the U.S. had won the right to vote, but that right was only given to them because they had to truly fight for it and convince the goverment. 

[Jennifer Cutler]

As a result of the unequal treaty, China entered into the "Century of Humiliation." There are so many activities that you can do with this in the classroom. I had great experience doing a foreign policy debate - who was at fault for the opum in China? Should China open its doors to other nations and allow for trade? This can lead students to reconsider how governments and people make decisions that ultimately have devestating effects. Such could be the case with China's Opium Wars. Looking at a map of where the British planted their opium crops in India can further facilitiate a discussion about global trade and how the British knew what an infiltration of opium would do to the Chinese population. So was it the fault of the British or the Chinese who could (should?) have created stronger systems in place at the border and throughout the nation?

The results of the treaty include: Britain forcing China to pay an indemnity for the lost trade goods and to grant new trade concessions; Britain gained extraterritorial rights and China was carved up by the Europeans claiming rights and power to various sections of China; China lost Hong Kong and the Chinese had to allow the British to trade openly in Chinese ports. This image would be a nice way to start interpreting how the loss to Britain wasn't just one loss in a war, but many losses, as the other European nations honed in on China over the next 30 years. 

The unequal part of the treaty could lead to questions about who controls treaty writing. We see what happened when Germany wasn't part of the treaty process during WWI and how that snowballed quickly with the war guilt clause. So what could be some of the takeaways from this unequal treaty? Why did China go along with it so easily? Or did China really go along with the treaty the way we think? Perhaps the Taiping Rebellion could suggest otherwise - a group of people who wanted a nation where people would share wealth and poverty wouldn't exists - and the revolt was only the start of the Chinese trying to resist the treaty and outside influences. 

[Khrystle San Diego]

China was defeated in this war because of the corruption of the Qing Dynasty and their failure to modernize the military. They were fighting over supremacy in Korea. As a result, China gave up Taiwan and had to pay and give Japan trading privileges. This encouraged other Western powers to challenge China because of the lack of strong leadership under the Qing Dynasty.

Before revealing to my students who won the war, I would do a comparison in which I can show to my students the types of weapons China and Japan used. From looking at the differences, we can bring up ideas as to why they think which one is stronger and will ultimately lead to the victory. 

[Khrystle San Diego]

After the defeat by the Japanese forces and the increase of potential threats from other nations, I believe that some Chinese realized that there was a need for a change. People were understanding that if they continued to live the same way they did under the Qing Dynasty, they would be even more negatively affected or worse, their nation could have been lost to foreign powers. 

A way I can encourage students to see potential reasons for change is to create an activity where they take on a role of different Chinese individuals and how they would respond to change. By predicting how their roles would react, students can see the effects of change in the society. 

[clay dube]

Thanks to all who have already posted. You've really thought about some of these issues and offered excellent ideas about how students might respond to the questions and the materials. It's great to have so many share their ideas. We hope to that you enjoy reading what others suggest might or might not work with students.

Again, thanks for the great work. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday.    Please also get started watching the videos in advance of our discussion session on Saturday morning.

[Jennifer Cutler]

The losses from the Opium Wars were so devestating that the Chinese realized they needed to reform - thus the "self-strengthening movement" of the Manchus focused on military chages. The Chinese brought in Westerners to train the Chinese in new technologies and the Chinese firmly believed they would master these technologies so well that they could surpass the west. The reform focused on military, then industry, then business (textiles, cotton.) Unfortunately, the reforms didn't include social changes and so as the military grew stronger internally China suffered from societal conflicts. The Self-Strengthening Movement ultimately failed due to low level of finances (if the poor have nothing and you tax nothing, you get nothing) and corruption within the empire's administration. So losing to Japan was almost as devestating as losing to the British. The Japanese, with the Meji Restoration, had successfully done what China believed would happen - modernizing/westernizing and surpassing many of Japan's neighbors. One way to explore this movement is to compare it with that of the Tanzimat Reforms in the Ottoman Empire. Or simply look at the ways that China attempted reform under Empress Cixi - who was committed to traditional values but supported certain reforms. This is another place to put in the Open-Door policy debate I mentioned earlier. Do you allow China to open its doors - knowing what happened last time they were "kept closed?"

[Khrystle San Diego]

The New Culture Movement attacked the ideas of Confucious traditionalism and praised the ideas of the West in terms of science and democracy. It was an intellectual revolution led by individuals who wanted to critique traditional Chinese culture and ethics. They thought this would be a way to address the problems that have risen as a result of their lack of modernization and specifically focused their efforts to educate the upcoming generation. 

The May Fourth Movement was a result of the protests in response to the Treaty of Versailles after World War I. The New Culture Movement was a precursor to this May Fourth Movement which in turn created a stronger motive which was essentially anti-imperialist and demanded that China became a sovereign government. The May Fourth Movement helped contribute to the rise of the Chinese Communist Party and increased nationalism in China. Rather than turning for Western guidance in terms of government, China became more radical in their outlook and as a result, China adopted methods from Marxism, Leninism, and Maoism. This is because they believed that this type of government provided self defense, support, and a sense of belonging and self determination. 

[Cynthia Jackson]

I would like for my students to use “discovery” to be able to differentiate and describe the relationship between economic growth and economic development. In World Geography, one of the 8 traits of culture is economy but very few lessons throughout the year explore that trait. A lesson focusing on the ways 19th century economic development created internal political tensions would be a great way to help students to understand the significance of China’s return to economic dominance in the late 20th century- a potential topic of focus for one of the unit’s common assessments. As this lesson would ask students “What is the relationship between economic growth and economic development?”, a thinking exercise at the beginning of the lesson would help students start making connections. This thinking exercise would have students begin to make conjectures and ask questions about the impacts of limited resources on a country economically, politically, and socially. I am considering two word problems to accomplish this: 1) In our class, there are 17 students. The teacher has 17 pencils. If each student needs 17 pencils, how many pencils does each student get? 2) We get 5 more students added to our class and now have 22 students. What happens to the supply of pencils? Some of the follow-up questions would be: “Let’s think about the various impacts this would have on our class. 

• (1) What happens when students don’t have pencils? 

  • How would people respond to a pencil shortage? 

  • How might students behave with each other if there was a pencil shortage? (social) 

• (2) How would students expect the teacher to fix this problem? 

  • What are some ways the teacher might respond when asked to fix this problem? (government) 

• (3) If students were allowed to vote and choose student government officials, how might a pencil shortage affect the election? 

  • What might students ask of candidates? (political)

 

This activity would be followed by discussion and analysis of Chinese economic data from the 18th-20th centuries. I am not quite sure what this part of the lesson would look like but I am guessing that these charts and graphs show that there is a point at which economic growth and development turn profit. Anything before this point would mean breaking even or a deficit. I want students to observe this trend and create inquiries about social life in these phases based on the information they observe. Following lessons would highlight key events during these phases so that students can investigate and collect evidence for their inquiries.

[Jennifer Cutler]

It's so wonderful to be able to have these discussions in a history classroom because so much of what we try to do is figure out solutions to problems based upon past examples. So I would use the rebellions against the Qing as another example of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Often we tend to study history in regional silos, but if you look at the world in 1900 you can better understand why so many nations were struggling with nationalism and national identity. I would perhaps have students look at John Stuart Mill's "On Liberty" and Montesquieu's "The Spirit of Laws" since both works were translated into Chinese right after the turn of the 20th century. Asking students to debate/discuss how these translations could have influenced change in China would require thinking of both change and outcomes - ie possible solutions. Also compare change in China to change in Germany and Italy (two nations that experienced nationalist reinforcement only 30 years earlier.) How did the Germans and Italians predict problems and find solutions? Did those solutions work?

[Jennifer Cutler]

I like your role play idea - I bet it would be incredible to get in some primary sources in order to prepare! And I haven't thought about doing a pre-role play "prediction" activity. Which I think could also be beneficial in requiring students to look at possible solutions and then try to get them to control the discussion in such a way that the solutions they want ultimately are achieved.  

[Jennifer Cutler]

I think I'm your biggest fan - I love this idea too!!! 😉 It's always great to include visual and looking at the weaponry of China and Japan would be a terffic comparison! 

[Cynthia Jackson]

Articles I-III: I will be doing several posts to break down the Treaty of Nanjing because I found this document absolutely fascinating. These first few articles of this treaty gave Britain greater access to China which had been a goal since the days of the Macartney expedition in 1793-1794. Great Britain gained control of Hong Kong, giving them an official port in East Asia, very close to one of their most important trading partners. A port in this region would also make it easier for Britain to insert influence over other East countries as they could better legitimize their interest by controlling areas on two sides of China’s borders- India and the island of Hong Kong. While the treaty’s language makes it seem as if this war was inconvenient for Britain, it was in fact quite the opposite. Britain walked away with much more economic and political power than they would have had otherwise, even if allowed greater access to trade with a larger community of merchants (their original goal).

[Cynthia Jackson]

Articles IV-VII: 21 million dollars China was told to pay in repatriation fees. China had to cover the cost of the war for both sides, plus pay additional fees for British merchants losing profits, even though their opium laws and policies were seemingly clear and foreign merchants knew the risks they took. How this war played out- the offending of British citizens, the declaration of war, the defeat at the hands of a country that was clearly more industrialized and prepared for war than their “enemy”- reminds me of both the Texas and Hawaii annexations by the United States. In all three cases, territory and greater economic rights were won. I have learned that there are theories the U.S. conspired with American citizens in these areas. While I am not sure if those are true, I am not quick to dismiss these theories. I wonder if there is similar research about Britain’s relationship with the merchants in China and if so, if these could be supported with evidence of Britain using this strategy in other empires and kingdoms around the world.

[Jaclyn Wall]

     In 3rd grade we discuss cities vs. small communities in our first Social Studies unit. Knowing that, I believe my students have a good understanding of how population growth can help an economy both thrive in aspects and slim resources in others if they're not careful. Now a days, the latter isn't likely to happen; however, in the beginning of the 1900's as citites progressed and populations grew, resources needed to as well. With California's capitol being founded in 1850, the population has only increased, but so have goods and services. This is also a great tie in to supply chain management which could bring in China's GDP and how it increased in the mid to late 1900's. 

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