A large table assessing the reasons for failure of the Self-Strengthening Movement in 1860s-1890s China. For IB History HL Paper 3 Asia and Oceania. Done by a student who scored 7/7 in History HL with a 7 in Paper 3. Perfect for exams revision!
“There must be a dynastic cataclysm before wholesale reform can operate”- Robert Hart
Reasons for failure General Specific
Conservative Most respected scholars did not Arch-conservative Grand Secretary
opposition within support the Self-Strengthening Wo-jen (Neo-Confucian scholar)
government and Movement. Most regarded it as spoke against extension of T’ung-
gentry elite vulgar and morally low or not wen kuan proposed by Prince Kung
fusable with Chinese culture
HOWEVER: Shen Xuanhauai
(Zhidong associate) adopts
bureaucratic- capitalist spirit
Limited Vision S-S was aimed at strengthening the See other reasons for failure
current state system rather than
reinventing China as a modern
state
This meant that old institutions
remained dominant, modern
industry never fully integrated into
the economy and that (according
to Fenby) a greater gap developed
between China and the Wes t +
Japan since the pace of
modernization in China was lagging
behind that of the West
Technical Western experts in China were of a Guns and ships made in China were
Backwardness poor level of expertise inferior to those of the West and
had to be imported: 9 large ships
of Peiyang fleet were foreign-made
and the cannons at Port Arthur and
Weihaiwei naval bases were
supplied by Krupp
Moral Degradation Corruption within enterprises: Li Hung-chang/Hongzhang left
(corruption) leaders of enterprises were behind an estate of 40 million taels
normally not of the highest morale 30 million taels of naval funds were
and embezzled their company used for the construction of
funds Summer Palace for Dowager
Shortage of Capital Shortage of bureaucratic and As a result, there were limited
private capital (due to the Opium enterprises; often major enterprises
trade?) restricted industrial led by same entrepreneurs e.g. same
growth people involved in the China
Merchants’ Steam Navigation
The solution proposed by the Company, Shanghai Cotton Cloth Mills,
government - raising the Imperial Telegraph,
taxes – did not work but weakened Administration, the Han-Yeh-P’ing
investing ability Mines
Capital formation was difficult
since the profits (usually 8-10%)
were distributed to shareholders
instead of reinvestment
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