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The Boxer Rebellion was an uprising against foreigners that occured in China around 1900's. This began with peasants but eventually supported the government. A chinese secret society known as the Boers embarked on a violent campaign to drive all foreigners from China. Several countries sent troops to halt the attacks. The hope was to spread Western and Japanese influence there. The Qing dynasty was greatly weakened as a result of the Boxer Rebellion. The dynasty was later overthrown in 1911.

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In the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, a Chinese secret organization called the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fists led an uprising in northern China against the spread of Western and Japanese influence there. The rebels, referred to by Westerners as Boxers because they performed physical exercises they believed would make them able to withstand bullets, killed foreigners and Chinese Christians and destroyed foreign property.

From June to August, the Boxers besieged the foreign district of China's capital city Beijing (then called Peking) until an international force that included American troops subdued the uprising. By the terms of the Boxer Protocol, which officially ended the rebellion in 1901, China agreed to pay more than $330 million in reparations.

Cause of the Boxer Rebellion

By the end of the 19th century, Western nations and Japan had forced China's ruling Qing dynasty to accept wide foreign control over the country's economic affairs. Throughout the Opium Wars of 1839-42 and 1856-60, popular rebellions and the Sino-Japanese War, China had fought to resist the foreigners, but it lacked a modernized military and suffered millions of casualties.

Did you know? America returned the money it received from China after the Boxer Rebellion, on the condition it be used to fund the creation of a university in Beijing. Other nations involved later remitted their shares of the Boxer indemnity as well.

John Hay, the U.S. Secretary of State from 1898 to 1905, began to implement an "Open Door Policy" to exert American and European influence over Chinese trade and economic partnerships. Though his Open Door Policy was met with indifference or resistance by other players-including the Qing Empress Dowager Tzu'u Hzi-continued Western influence over domestic Chinese affairs set the stage for rebellion.

By the late 1890s, a Chinese secret group, the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists ("I-ho-ch'uan" or "Yihequan"), had begun carrying out regular attacks on foreigners and Chinese Christians. The rebels performed calisthenics rituals and martial arts that they believed would give them the ability to withstand bullets and other forms of attack. Westerners referred to these rituals as shadow boxing, leading to the Boxers nickname.

Although the Boxers came from various parts of society, many were peasants, particularly from Shandong province, which had been struck by natural disasters such as famine and flooding. In the 1890s, China had given territorial and commercial concessions in this area to several European nations, and the Boxers blamed their poor standard of living on foreigners who were colonizing their country.

The Boxer Movement

In 1900, the Boxer movement spread to the Beijing area, where the Boxers killed Chinese Christians and Christian missionaries and destroyed churches, railroad stations and other property. On June 20, 1900, the Boxers began a siege of Beijing's Legation District (where the official quarters of foreign diplomats were located). The following day, Empress Dowager Tzu'u Hzi declared a war on all foreign nations with diplomatic ties in China.

As the Western powers and Japan organized a multinational force to crush the rebellion, the siege stretched into weeks, and the diplomats, their families and guards suffered through hunger and degrading conditions as they fought to keep the Boxers at bay.

By some estimates, several hundred foreigners and several thousand Chinese Christians were killed during this time. On August 14, after fighting its way through northern China, an international force of approximately 20,000 troops from eight nations (Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) arrived to take Beijing and rescue the foreigners and Chinese Christians.

Aftermath

The Boxer Rebellion formally ended with the signing of the Boxer Protocol on September 7, 1901. By terms of the agreement, forts protecting Beijing were to be destroyed, Boxer and Chinese government officials involved in the uprising were to be punished, foreign legations were permitted to station troops in Beijing for their defense, China was prohibited from importing arms for two years and it agreed to pay more than $330 million in reparations to the foreign nations involved.

The Qing dynasty, established in 1644, was weakened by the Boxer Rebellion. Following an uprising in 1911, the dynasty came to an end and China became a republic in 1912.

Sources

U.S. Marines in the Boxer Rebellion. National Archives.
Essay: The Boxer Rebellion. University of Washington: Digital Collections.

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Boxer Rebellion: China, Definition & Cause | HISTORY

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The Boxer Rebellion of 1900 was a failed uprising against Japanese and Western influence in China, led by the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fists.

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The Opium War was between 1839 and 1847, when British forces fought a war in China that benefitted drug smugglers. Their victory opened up the lucrative Chinese trade to British merchants. The Opium Wars marked the start of the era of unequal treaties between China and foreign imperialist powers. China was forced to concede many of its territory and sovereignty rights. Greatly expanding Western influence in China.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

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List of some of the major causes and effects of the Opium Wars, two trading wars that erupted during the mid-19th century in China. The overall result of these conflicts was to weaken the Chinese imperial system and greatly expand Western influence in China.

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The Panama Canal symbolized U.S, technological prowess and economic power. The U.S. control of the canal eventually became an irritant to U.S. Panamanian relations, at the time it was heralded as a major foreign policy achievement. The Canal connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Perhaps being one of the most crucial piece of infrastructure supporting the free flow of international trade and goods in the western hemisphere.

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The Sepoy Rebellion, was when a group of Indian soldiers in 1857 in the British East India Company's army led a mutiny (An open rebellion against proper authorities) in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The mutiny soon escalated into an uprising of sepoys and Indian civilians throughout northern India. The Rebellion spread through North India, nearly overthrowing the rule of the British East India Company.

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The "Legitimate" African Trade was the era of legitimate commerce and was very significant for West African history. The trade occured in the 19th century and it was an international trade in which Africans exchanged agricultural produce for products supplied mainly by the European powers. This trade then replaced the Atlantic slave trade.

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Spain was both a colonizer and colonized. Spain claimed and settled Mexico, most of Central and South American Islands and more in 1492. Though Spain was also colonized around the 1500's by European explorers.

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Italy was a colonizer.

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South Africa was colonized by a large number of British immigrants arrived in South Africa seeking new opportunities in 1820 were in need of the land. Using military forces, they pushed Africans off of their land.

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Belgium colonization of Congo began in 1855 when King Leopold II founded and ruled the Congo Free State.

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The British military occupied Egypt in 1882 to protect financial interests within the country during the violent war.

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The Netherlands were colonizers.

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France was a colonizer.

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France colonized Vietnam for more than six decades. By the late 1800's Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia were all controlled by France.

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Germany was a colonizer.

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Belgium was colonized by the French from 1794-1814. Though Belgium also colonized what is now present day Democratic Republic of Congo to 1885.

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Britain was a colonizer.

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The Spanish maintained colonial rule over Guam for more than 300 years. In 1898 possessions of the island changed hands as the US took control.

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Hawaii was colonized by the United States due to nationalism being incorporated by the Spanish American War. January 16, 1893 the United States troops invaded the kingdom without a cause.

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The British invaded Australia in 1788 mostly because the prisons in Britain were becoming extremely overcrowded and the situation worsened when America refused to take more convicts.

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The Spanish successfully colonized Portugal after the Spanish armies victory at Alcantara in 1580. King Phillip was then accepted as King of Portugal and for the next 60 years Portugal was under Spanish rule. Portugal also colonized many parts of South America and even had some unsuccessful attempts to colonize North America.

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Japan colonized many Asian colonies including Korea, Taiwan, and Manchuria as well as many other islands in the Pacific from 1895-1945. Though Japan also colonized by the Dutch becoming the only Europeans allowed to remain in Japan.

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1521 Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan went to the Philippines and claimed it as a colony for the Spanish Empire. This period of Spanish rule lasted until the Philippine Revolution in 1898.

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The British were the main colonizers of india. The British planned to use India as a feeder colony to flourish their own economy. India then fell under British rule between 1757 and 1947.

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Spain conquered and colonized Mexico in 1521 for the purpose of getting new land, resources and spreading their religious beliefs and ideals.

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The island of Puerto Rico was imperialized when the United States invaded by armed forces and dissolved the Parliament and established US rule in 1898.

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Cuba was originally colonized by Spain. Though later after the Spanish-American war the the United States occupied Cuba from 1898 until 1902 and secured the island as a neocolonial possion through political coercion, cultural domination, and financial investments.