Posted on 05/31/2019 6:56:45 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Despite the U.S. declaring an “Open Door Policy” in support of China’s sovereignty, U.S. Marines on May 31, 1900 invaded China to help defeat the Boxer Rebellion.
With imperial Great Britain, Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, Japan, and Russia trying to carve China into colonies, Secretary of State John Hay in the fall of 1899 declared the United States would honor an “Open Door Policy” that respected Chinese territorial and administrative integrity and allowed equal trading privileges for all nations.
Nineteenth-century imperialists had forced China’s ruling Qing Dynasty to accept foreign dominance over much of China’s economic affairs. Two Opium Wars with the British between 1839-42 and 1856-60, the Taiping Rebellion from 1850-1864, and the Sino-Japanese War between 1894-95 caused extensive economic and political decline.
China's population had tripled to 450 million by 1899. The combination of land shortages, cyclical famines, and an increasingly impoverished rural population, coupled with heavy taxes, inflation, and greedy local officials worsened the farmer's plight.
Chinese hatred of foreign influences was spurred to action in the 1890s by the "I Ho Ch'uan." Known as the “Boxers,” the secret society of "Righteous and Harmonious Fists" believed their fighting rituals gave them supernatural powers to oppose the Qing Dynasty and all foreign influences, especially foreign missionaries and Christians.
Provincial leaders and the Chinese Imperial Court led by the Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi initially opposed the Boxers. But the 1896-97 drought across east-central China caused millions of farmers to turn their support the Boxers by 1898.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
RE Boxer Rebellion:
If you want to watch a great old movie, see “55 Days At Peking” with Charleton Heston and David Niven.
Great flick about the events in that time.
Dad was there in 1945, defending a coal mine outside Beijing from battles between Chiang Kai-Shek’s troops and Mao Zedong’s troops.
Let’s remember the other side of the story.....which is that the boxers took to murdering foreigners (and Chinese Christians) wherever they could find them. Many completely peaceful and unarmed missionaries were among the victims - including women and children - and the Imperial German ambassador was murdered by a large crowd.
There is a reason why Austria-Hungary, Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Britain. America and Japan all allied against them. The Dowager Empress and her advisors were obviously playing a double game of publicly condemning the violence while privately encouraging the boxers. This fooled nobody. Whatever China’s grievances (some clearly legit), just murdering every foreigner they could get their hands on was barbaric, unjust and quite stupid.
Well, the Americans, together with the other countries, eventually defeated the Boxers after America’s legation was besieged.
American had always supported an “Open Door Policy” in support of China’s sovereignty, that respected Chinese territorial and administrative integrity and allowed equal trading privileges for all nations.
Even after the defeat of the Boxers, the USA still supported the China “Open Door” Policy.
Japan came into the picture later. Japan invaded China in 1937 and declaration of its Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere in 1940 ( that was also the start of the infamous Rape of Nanjing ).
As a result of this, the USA placed embargoes on U.S. exports to Japan of essential commodities such as oil and scrap metal. The embargoes are blamed for eventually causing Japan to declare war against the United States on December 7, 1941.
My grandmother’s second husband was there.
“Dad was there in 1945, defending a coal mine outside Beijing from battles between Chiang Kai-Shek’s troops and Mao Zedong’s troops.
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Most troops went home w/the end of WWII in ‘45!
The Marines went to China until 1949 when the war officially ended!
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GyG@PlanetWTF?
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“Dad was there in 1945, defending a coal mine outside Beijing from battles between Chiang Kai-Shek’s troops and Mao Zedong’s troops.
***********************”
Most troops went home w/the end of WWII in ‘45!
The Marines went to China until 1949 when the war officially ended!
++++++
GyG@PlanetWTF?
********************
“Japan, having built up a stable political and economic system with a small but well-trained army and navy, surprised the world with its easy victory over China in the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_China%E2%80%93Japan_relations#Conflict_after_1870
Absolutely! Defense of the Americans at the Ligation. One of Dan Daly's grand achievements. A Marine we had at the Birthday Ball several years back was with him on the wall.
A fascinating read is to read some books on the Taping Rebellion. Here is one I recommend
This tragedy is little known here in the US.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_Rebellion#History
Some historians claim more people died in this conflict then WWI & WWII combined.
It left the Chinese very leery of the west and set the stage for the Boxers and even Mao. Mao liked to compared himself to its leader Hong Xiuquan.
The demands of those missionaries were shockingly abusive and included land. Mark Twain documented it quite well. And the Germans were among the worst.
Dress it up however you want, beginning with the Opium wars where the Brits forced China to allow British dope in, there was a land rush where western powers invaded and carved up “spheres of influence”. They demanded subservience to their missionaries, and every offense was met with demands for silver and land or another port.
The Boxers were doing what anyone does to an invader.
And the effects of it ripple down to this day where we have a virulently anti-western China to deal with. Of all the abuses in China of that era, the Opium wars and the Germans were by far the worst.
“There is a reason why Austria-Hungary, Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Britain. America and Japan all allied against them.”
Yeah, to gain territory for their empires.
“Whatever China’s grievances (some clearly legit), just murdering every foreigner they could get their hands on was barbaric, unjust and quite stupid.”
What would you do if the African, Arab, Chinese and Mexican invasion here progressed to the point that those foreign nations began to carve up and administer the USA and demanded the US government enforce their edicts?
I’d plot, and kill everyone of them I could.
That’s not accurate that Japan was not there until 1937. At the Siege of the Legations, the Japanese Army was the largest contributor with 8000 men. The Russians sent 4300, 3000 Brits (mostly from India) 2500 US Marines and Soldiers, and about 800 French.
The Japanese were heavy players in those events.
You should watch “Sand Pebbles”, with Steve McQueen. on par with your suggestion.
RE Sand Pebbles:
It’s actually one of my favorite movies... :^)
If you just kill every foreigner innocent or guilty, combatants or non-combatants, don’t be surprised when everybody gangs up against you.
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