IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : History Of China and Japan (1840-1949) - Self Strengthening Movement and Hundred Days Reforms

IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams

History Of China and Japan (1840-1949)

Self Strengthening Movement and Hundred Days Reforms

Structure

15.0 Objectives
15.1 Introduction
15.2 The Self Strengthening Movement
15.2.1 Architects of the Restoration and Self Strengthenin.

15.2.2 Restoration of the~grarisn Economy
15.2.3Restoration of State and Civil Authority
15.2.4 New Diplomacy Towards tht: West
15.2.5 Self Strengthening
15.3 The Second Phase
15.3.1 Beginnings of a Modern Education
15.3.2 Opposition to the Innovations
15.3.3 The Results
15.4 The 1898 Reform Movement
15.4.1 The Principal Theorists
15.4.2 The Ascendency
15.5 The Hundred Days Reform
15.5.1 The Scope of Reform
15.5.2 The Reaction
15.6 Let,& Sum Up
15.7 Key Words
15.8 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

15.0 OBJECTIVES

After reading this Unit you will:

have an idea about the Self Strengthening movement and how it helped in securing the State,
become familiar with the restoration of the agrarian system of the state,
able to know how the Tungchi rulers made efforts to re-establish the civil authority and administration,
know about the second phase of the Self Strengthening movement, be able to know the results of the Restoration and the Self Strengthening movements, and
know about the Hundred Days Reform, its scope and the reasons forits failure.

15.1 INTRODUCTION

The 19th century was a significant period in the history of modern China. With the
advance of imperialist powers and the developing internal crisis the Ch'ing state and
society embarked on a programme of reform which. during the course of the 19th
century, was to extend beyond what was originally proposed in the form of the
Tungchi Restoration of the 1860's and 18705 and its corollary, the Self Strengthening
movement. The respite provided by the brief conciliatory policy followed by the
Western powers after the signing of the Treaty of Tientsin in 1858, gave the Ch'ing '
rtate the space to tackle the Taipings and to consider the problems posed by the
??reignen and rebellious peasants. What started as a programme to strengthen the
Ch'inn state and give it a new lease of life. became at the q\nd of the 19th century a
quest for a more broad-basedattempt at reform. The 1898 reform movement. which in
a sense was to lay the foundations for the enveloping storm of the early 20th century,
ended with the dismantling of the Imperial edifice itself. This Unit takes into account ,,
the various aspects related with the Self Strengthening movement and the ,Hundred
Days Reforms.