China: Annotated Primary Source - Cartoon by Matthew Tardif https://padlet.com/mtardif23/b7hgtgkk8f9mva3z Made with magic en-us 2021-03-09 16:31:08 UTC 2026-02-22 11:12:13 UTC hello@padlet.com "The War in China" German Postcard c1899-1901 mtardif23 https://padlet.com/mtardif23/b7hgtgkk8f9mva3z/wish/1288521478 2021-03-09 16:36:18 UTC https://padlet.com/mtardif23/b7hgtgkk8f9mva3z/wish/1288521478 The Hand and Eagle. krosenblatt23 https://padlet.com/mtardif23/b7hgtgkk8f9mva3z/wish/1297771820 Due to the killing of two German missionaries, Germany was forced to intervene and use its extreme power to defeat the Boxers. The hand and eagle represent Germany and their forceful tactics to end the Boxer Rebellion. The eagle portrays Germany’s strong military due to the fact that falcons have both sharp talons and powerful beaks; the Boxer’s gloves were no match for the falcon. The hand has a leather gauntlet surrounded by metal. This demonstrates both the true power of the talons, and the modernization of the military. The cartoonist accurately depicts that Germany gained its strength mostly from their industrialized military.]]> 2021-03-11 13:09:20 UTC https://padlet.com/mtardif23/b7hgtgkk8f9mva3z/wish/1297771820 The Large Chinese Man Towards the Left. mtardif23 https://padlet.com/mtardif23/b7hgtgkk8f9mva3z/wish/1297788250 The man is defenseless to the attackers; he looks like he is struggling to hold on, fight back and will collapse at any moment. The larger person represents the Boxer rebellion as a whole because of the boxing gloves he wears. They were called the Boxers by the west because of their constant fighting as well as the practices that were associated with China such as martial arts. The man is large to show the true size of the Boxer rebellion, which amounted to more than 140,000 boxers and influenced millions of people throughout the country. The Boxer Rebellion was an uprising of the people against both the western powers, who were treating them abysmally, and the Qing dynasty, which caused a plethora of problems for both of these forces. ]]> 2021-03-11 13:13:13 UTC https://padlet.com/mtardif23/b7hgtgkk8f9mva3z/wish/1297788250 Ships. mtardif23 https://padlet.com/mtardif23/b7hgtgkk8f9mva3z/wish/1297797490 The ships represent a coalition of foreign nations, who were uniting to defeat the Boxers. These countries include England, Prussia, Russia, Austria, America, Japan, and France, who at the time were competing for spheres of influence in China. Further, there are large and small ships, showing the powers of the foreign countries, the larger the ship, the more naval power they hold. ]]> 2021-03-11 13:15:18 UTC https://padlet.com/mtardif23/b7hgtgkk8f9mva3z/wish/1297797490 Analysis. mtardif23 https://padlet.com/mtardif23/b7hgtgkk8f9mva3z/wish/1297798791 Previously, the Treaty of Nanjing had been enacted, legalizing the trading of opium, allowing for Christian ideas to spread, and opening more ports for the foreign powers. Hence, when the Chinese tried to fight back, all of the foreign powers sent their best to prevent anything from happening that would make them lose power. In response, the Chinese government gave Germany the right to lease Jiaozhou Bay and the Qingdao area for ninety-nine years as a sphere of influence. This gave Germany railway and mining rights and further deteriorated the power of the Chinese hegemony. 

This German cartoon depicts the role that Germany plays in subduing the Boxer rebellion and protecting the German interests in China. It tries to spread the message to its German audience that everything is under control and that Germany will come out on top, boosting nationalism. When the missionaries were killed, the German people were enraged and worried greatly about Germany’s stance in China. Consequently, Germany went to great lengths to ensure the death of the two missionaries did not have consequences. This caused the death of many German soldiers but eventually put an end to the Boxer Rebellion which would cause the fall of the dynasty. Germany did not want the dynasty to fall because that would lead to their spheres of influence being demolished. This would mean Germany could no longer exploit the Chinese people and they would lose profit.

The other foreign powers came to fight this war in China for similar reasons as Germany. To protect their spheres of influence and common interests in China they all had to come together to defeat their common enemy. Even though these global powers are all imperializers and competitors of each other, they put the protection and security of their holdings in China as their top priority and worked together to keep the dynasty from crumbling.

Overall, the cartoonist is trying to show both the significance of the Boxer Rebellion and the importance of these foreign competitors uniting. As well as the impact of the Rebellion on not only China, but also the foreign powers and their militaries.
]]> 2021-03-11 13:15:36 UTC https://padlet.com/mtardif23/b7hgtgkk8f9mva3z/wish/1297798791 The Small People Running Away. mtardif23 https://padlet.com/mtardif23/b7hgtgkk8f9mva3z/wish/1302413373 The smaller people also wear similar clothes and have the same hair style which implies that they are subjects of the Qing dynasty who stand with the Boxer Rebellion. However, they are trying to run away implying that they don’t want to face the punishments that will be forced upon them by fighting the western powers. Their size also shows how little they were compared to the great powers. Even though they are trying to escape from the crushing body, almost all are being killed. This demonstrates that the majority of the deaths were not necessarily Boxers, but instead innocent people that were killed as an outcome of the rebellion.]]> 2021-03-12 13:28:34 UTC https://padlet.com/mtardif23/b7hgtgkk8f9mva3z/wish/1302413373