WHAP Ch. 19 Notes

By 1700s, had nowhere to expand and fell behind in tech, losing land too

Janissaries were revolting → Ottomans were losing gov. power

Semi-independent states were forming → loss of revenue

Took Egypt from the Ottomans in 1840s, and almost invaded more if not for the British intervening

As trade declined as the focus shifted to the Atlantic Ocean, Ottomans mostly exported raw materials

European manufactures goods replaced ottoman artists

Had to rely on foreign loans → ½ of their revenue went to it, eventually had to accept European capitulations

Ottoman sultan who tried to remodel the army but failed due to violent Janissary retribution

Following Selim, he reformed Ottoman Empire by:

• killing all janissaries and remodeling the army euro-style

• system of secondary education and new infrastructure

• undermined the ulama

Drawing inspiration from enlightenment of west Europe, reformers lifted capitulations, issued new legal and civil codes, and made free and compulsory education

1840-1870s

Accidentally made a representative gov. that he later removed

Made lots of educational reforms that led to officials being too smart and disliking the gov

Ottoman group that promoted universal suffrage and hegemony

put in Mehmed V to rule

The Crimean War in 1840s exposed Russia’s weakness
Led to Tsar Alex II issuing the Emancipation manifesto to give liberty to serfs in 1860, and the Stolypin Reforms in 1910

both failed and made the poor poorer

Zemstvos were made alongside legal reforms that actually worked!

• trial by jury, elected justices

Sergei Witte moved Russia into industrialization (trans-siberian railways), however led to horrible working conditions and growing resentment

Intelligentsia led revolution and promoted socialism, however this was met with censorship and heavy Russification in separatist areas

TLFP promoted assassination so The People’s Will killed Alexander II in 1881

After Bloody Sunday, revolts occurred and despite the creation of the Duma, Romanov power fell

Trade was only allowed into China via Cohongs, so the BEIC started an illegal opium trade into china (40k chests/year)

Lin Zexu was appointed to fix it, fucked it up →

• 1839-1842, British Vs. Chinese

  • China flopped due to steamboats up the Grand Canal

China signed the treaty of Nanjing which gave Hk to Britain + gave Britain power into Chinese trade

• led to other Euro states entering too

• tributary states were freed

Xiuquan was against the Manchu ruling class and wanted communal economy, so the Taiping rebellion starts after they take Nanjing in 1853

Qing gov. employed chinese and foreign ppl and won in 1864 (20-30m dead)

Hundred Days Reform:

• Inspired by Qichao, Emperor Guangzu made China into a constitutional monarchy and welcomed foreign influence

  • Empress Cixi said nope and nullified it

The Boxer Rebellion:

• Cixi supported TBR to rid “foreign devils”

  • killed foreigners and christians and tried to kill embassies, but lost due to shitty tech

mass famine and taxation → sad ppl

growing merchant class led to samurai and daimyo being indebted → protested

Despite some reforms, Tokugawa was ineffective

Tokugawa said no trade in 1850s, so US Commodore Perry said fine we’ll just attack you. Japan opened itself up after that one

• Agreed to lots of unequal treaties

The sudden foreign intrusion led to people being pissed and revolution. No more Tokugawa :(

Emperor Meiji made mass reforms inspired by Yukichi and Hirobumi

• no more daimyo and samurai

• new national army

• fixed-money tax

• rapid industrialization and trade

  • sold to Zaibatsu

He dropped a constitution that established Diet but gave him most of the power in 1890

• with new powers, were able to end unequal treaties