COLONIALISM

AND
NATIONALISM
IN
CHINA AND JAPAN
COLONIALISM IN CHINA
 With the advent of industrialization, European nations started to search for raw
materials that they could use for manufacturing goods. Finding lands beyond their
borders, the Europeans established colonies in these lands and made the people in
these places their pool of markets for their finished products
British expansion in East and Southeast Asia was shaped by the well-being of India
and its involvement in British commerce.
 China’s trading relations with European countries started in 1517, with Portugal as
the most active country at that time. But when Qing dynasty (Manchu Dynasty) was
established in 1644, China’s economy was in a period of expansion. New markets
were being founded, and merchants were extending their businesses across
provincial lines. During this period, various countries from Europe became
interested to trade with China, and Britain was one of these.
 The primary motive of British imperialism in China in the nineteenth century was
economic. There was high demand for Chinese tea, silk, and porcelain in the British
market.
 When Canton (also known as
Guangzhou – the capital of
Guangdong province in southern
China) became the center of foreign
trade, the British and other foreign
nations maintained trading at Canton
through the Cohongs – Chinese
merchant guild who acted as
intermediaries. They were the ones
who took charge of the
accommodations of foreign
merchants in port trade factories. The
Dutch who followed the restrictions
set by the Chinese, was able to
increase trade with China.
Great Britain, on the other hand,
who hated and despised the
Chinese restrictions, were not
allowed to trade in Canton.
Thus, in 1793, King George III of
England requested Chien Lung (a
skilled ruler of Qing Dynasty)
through a letter to accept a
better trade agreement with
Britain consisting also the
approval to accept
manufactured goods from the
country.
THE TEA-OPIUM CONNECTION
Endowed with much natural
richness, China was not so much
concerned trading with the West.
Because of this, China earned
much more than it spent in
importing goods and business
with the foreigners was at China’s
favor. British imported millions of
tons of tea from China every year
and exported goods much less
than it imports, draining Britain’s
silver supply.
THE TEA-OPIUM CONNECTION
Finding the imbalance so impartial
on their part, the British eventually
thought of exporting opium to
China. Opium is a habit forming
narcotic made form the poppy
plant. Chinese doctors had been
using it to relieve pain for hundreds
of year. This process of importing
this was in illegal manner. In the
late 18th century, the British
merchants smuggled opium into
China for non-medical use.
As a result, addiction to
the opium drug horribly
gripped the Chinese
population in 1835.
Millions of Chinese were
addicted to the drug.
THE OPIUM WAR
The increasing supply of opium in
China greatly affected Chinese
population. This occurrence angered
the king and requested for the
stoppage of the British smuggling of
opium. But Britain remained
unresponsive and eventually declined
the king’s request as Britain was
earning much from the illegal trade. In
1839, the first imperialist war in the
east broke out. It was the first Anglo-
Chinese War. otherwise known as the
Opium War.
Armed with more powerful cannons
and guns, the British defeated the
Chinese a lasting blow of humiliating
effects and was forced to sign the
unequal the Treaty of Nanking with
Britain in 1842 that allowed Britain
to:
1. gain the island of Hongkong
2. open new trade ports in China
3. require the Chinese to pay
damages for the cost of war and
the damaged opium
4. abolish the Cohongs
THE SECOND OPIUM WAR and THE
INTRUSION OF OTHER COLONIZERS
The Second Opium War was caused by
the seizure of the Chinese authorities
of a British maneuvered Chinese vessel
engaged in opium trade. The French
joined the British in the war. At about
the same, the Russians forced China to
give up the Ussuri territory where the
Russians built their naval base. In
1879, Japan claimed the Ryuku Island
and later on took over the islands of
Formosa (now Taiwan). By 1885, much
of China’s empire was already in the
THE OPEN DOOR POLICY
After the Second Opium War, China
was intensely weak with millions of
people going hungry and also faced
with conflict one after the other.
Concerned about the situation in
China, the United States, with the
permission of China, declared the
“Open Door Policy.” The policy
recommended that China’s “doors”
would be opened to merchants of all
nations. Both the British and the other
nations agreed upon this declaration.
This policy thus protected American
trading rights in China.
China was sheltered from colonization and its
situation was pitiful one being under the
mercy of foreign powers.
RISE OF NATIONALISM
IN CHINA
 For the Chinese, their chance to recover from years of foreign rule was to make
necessary changes in all sectors of their society. However, the Chinese differed in
their ideals. Some were aggressive enough to had thought of building strong forces,
some thought of strengthening the country’s economy, and still some wanted to
retain the traditional Chinese ways.
The most popular group who
wanted to develop the country into
a modern society was the
Kuomintang or the Nationalist
Party, founded by Sun Yat-sen. In
1912, Sun led the revolutionary
Alliance in China. This revolution
succeeded in overthrowing the last
emperor of the Qing dynasty in
1911.
Because of his success in this
revolution, Sun Yat-sen was hence
called the Father of Chinese
Republic.
In 1912, Sun became president of
the new Republic of China. He held
the post for just six weeks. Sun
hoped to establish a modern
government based on the “Three
Principles of the People”
- Nationalism
- Democracy
- Livelihood (Socialism)
THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES
In the advent of World War I in
1917, Beijing sided with the Alllied
Forces thinking that they would be
able to get back the territories
occupied as spheres of influence by
foreigners in their country as the
Allied Powers win the war.
However, the Treaty of Versailles of
June 1919 granted the territories
formerly occupied by Germany to
Japan.
The result of the Treaty of Versailles
angered the Chinese. This event
heated the anger of the Chinese
students held a demonstration at
Tiananmen Square shouting “Down
with the European Imperialists!”
“Boycott Japan!” A young Mao Tse-
tung then was arrested and held as
one of the student protesters. Mao
Tse Tung later became China’s
greatest revolutionary leader,
sometime called “The Great
Helmsman,” a director of an
endeavor.
THE MAY FOURTH MOVEMENT
OF JUNE 28, 1919
This event finally exploded into a
national movement called the May
Fourth Movement. This was the
result of Treaty of Versailles.
Though not considered as a
revolution, this episode in the
history of China showed the
Chinese demonstration of their love
for liberty and freedom and thus
expressed their goal of establishing
a modern country.
THE COMMUNIST PARTY IN
CHINA
Young Chinese intellectuals turned
against the Sun Yat-sen’s principles
of Western democracy. Instead,
they favored Lenin’s Soviet
Communism – a theory that
believes in the practice of the
dictatorship of the proletariat led by
a revolutionary head party. The
Chinese Communist Party was
organized in 1921. Mao Tse-tung
was one of its founders.
COLONIALISM IN JAPAN
The Japanese under the Tokugawa Shogunate enjoyed an unhindered period of
peace. The Japanese experienced this period pf peace of society until the 19th
century.
THE UNITED STATES OPENED
JAPAN
It was not until 1853 when the US
took its eye on Japan. The US
requested the Tokugawa to open its
port for foreign trade.
Seemingly threatened by the
dreadful arms of the foreigners, the
Japanese consented on the request
of the US. The signing of the Treaty
of Kanagawa in 1854 followed this
reply.
Some of the terms of the Treaty of
Kanagawa were as follows:

- Japan opened two ports where

American ships could take on
supplies.
- Japan granted the foreigners the
permission to trade at their treaty
ports.
MODERNIZATION and
WESTERNIZATION UNDER THE
MEIJI ERA
The grants stipulated by the
Kanagawa Treaty to the foreigners
angered the Japanese. Fearing the
continued intervention of foreigners
to the country, the Japanese feared
that they were losing control of
Japan. The Japanese gathered and
requested emperor Matsuhito to
take the reign of the government in
place of the shogunate.
Matsuhito founded a new
government carrying the name
Meiji for his reign. Meiji means
“enlightened rule.”
It was the Meiji Period that did
major changes in Japan. The
emperor thought of new ways that
would help Japan by westernization
and modernization. For him it
would be best to adopt new ways
instead of opposing Western
imperialism in an aggressive
manner.
The emperor insisted on the adaptation
of western ways and technologies that
would best develop Japan into a more
organized and powerful nation. He:
- sent leaders and scholars to Europe
and North America to study foreign
ways
- patterned the constitution of Japan to
be patterned with that of Germany
- developed his army’s skills based on
the British navy
- adopted the American system of
universal public education, and
required all Japanese to attend school.
JAPANESE IMPERIALISM
INDUSTRIALIZATION OF JAPAN
The Japanese rallied behind the
Western path of industrialization,
thus making Japan become as
modern as it could be during the
20th century. The country made
several infrastructure projects that
would help industrialize its
economy. Moreover, shipbuilding
and the production of weapons also
developed Japan as a modern
industrialized nation.
GROWTH OF JAPANESE
IMPERIALISM
By 1890, Japan already had several
dozen of warships and 500,000 well
trained soldiers. It had become the
strongest military power in Asia.
Having gained military, political, and
economic strength, the Japanese
sought to eliminate the
extraterritorial rights of foreigners.
As Japan grew into an industrial
power, it also started to implement
its imperialistic goals.
JAPANESE AGGRESSION
Having implemented their planned
modernization, Japan became
aggressive. Faced with the
challenge of scarcity of food, and
burdened by lack of raw materials
and markets for its manufactured
goods, the Japanese sought
solutions for their problems. At this
point in time, Japan is ready to
demonstrate her prowess to the
world.
SINO-JAPANESE WAR
To explicitly validate her power,
Japan forced Korea to open three
ports to Japanese trade. Similarly,
China also considered Korea to be
an important trading partner and
military outpost.
China and Japan agreed on a
hands-off treaty over Korea. They
both vowed that they would not
send their armies into Korea.
 However, in 1894, the agreed
hands-off treaty over Korea was
broken. This incident was triggered
by the request of Korea to the king
of China for military support to be
able to suppress a rebellion in their
territory. China sent troops to
Korea. Thus, this occurrence was
immediately opposed by Japan who
in turn sent its own troops to Korea.
This event ushered to a war known
as the Sino-Japanese War. The
Japanese was victorious over the
Chinese in this war.
 Victorious over the Chinese, Japanese took over Manchuria.
The war also ended in signing the Treaty of Shimonoseki that
compelled China to recognize the independence of Korea. In
the same treaty, Japan gained its first colonies – Formosa
(now Taiwan); the Pescadores Islands; and the Liaotung
Peninsula on the southern coast of Manchuria.
RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR
Russia, envious of strategic piece
of terrain that Japan gained,
persuaded Germany and France to
join in forcing Japan to leave the
peninsula. Three years later, the
Russians appropriated the area for
themselves; a bitter lesson for the
Japanese on poor politics. The
Russians lingered in Manchuria.
Japan, withdrawing her troops from
China, regarded this hesitation with
displeasure.
RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR
In 1904, Japan demanded the
withdrawal of Russian troops
from Manchuria, but Russia
reluctantly agreed to
negotiate. Without any
declaration of war, Japan
launched a surprise attack on
the Russian troops. Japan
amazed the world after it won
over Russia.
RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR
In 1905, the Treaty of
Portsmouth was signed
between Japan and Russia.
This treaty compelled Russia to
turn over Russian island of
Sakhalin and give Japan special
fishing rights along the
Siberian coast.
THE GREAT DEPRESSION
Great depression meant the decline of
industrial production because of the
decline of international trade. This
started in the US affecting the world’s
industry and Japan was the most
affected country by the depression
because of its dependence on
importing raw materials from the US.
To push the nation’s economy during
the depression, Japan set its goals of
accupying land in East and Southeast
Asia. This was one of the factors that
led to Japanese imperialism.
THE GREATER EAS ASIA CO-
PROSPERITY SPHERE
Japan’s intense plan to acquire
territories in other lands to sustain its
economy and to crash the Western
colonies in the East and Southeast
Asia led to the development of the
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity
Sphere. Guided by the belief of its
exclusive right to promote peace in
Asia, Japanese also declared the
statement “Asia for the Asians,” giving
themselves a picture as the savior of
Asians from European colonialism.
THE CONFLICT BETWEEN JAPAN
AND CHINA
Japanese troops occupied Mukden,
Manchuria after a mysterious
explosion that damaged a Japanese
controlled railroad. The Republic of
China appealed to the League of
Nations for help. Japan reported it
was just a local problem and told the
League of Nations not to interfere.
Japan continued its invasion of China
and withdrew from the league of
Nations despite its warnings.
THE TENSION BETWEEN JAPAN
AND THE UNITED STATES
As Japan continued its invasion of China,
tension rose between Japan and the
United States since the US was an active
member of the League of Nations.
Determined to prevent Japan fro taking
China, President Roosevelt of the United
States banned the exportation of fuel,
iron, and steel to Japan when the latter
withdrew from the League of Nations
and continued its infiltration in China.
This was the start of conflict between
Japan and the US.