The Boxer Rebellion Charles River Editors by Charles River Editors 9781080938698, 1080938699 instant download after payment.

*Includes pictures *Includes a bibliography for further reading The 19th century saw the rise of one of the largest, most powerful empires of the modern era. The sun never set on the British Empire, whose holdings spanned the globe, in one form or another. Its naval supremacy linked the Commonwealth of Canada with the colonies in South Africa and India, and through them trade flowed east and west. An integral but underutilized part of this vast trade network included China, a reclusive Asian kingdom closed off from the Western world that desired none of its goods. Unfortunately for China, the British had the might of an empire and economic force, not to mention modern arms, on their side. Breaking into China's lucrative trade markets nearly destroyed the nation, severely discredited the Chinese dynasty, wreaked havoc on its people, and further propelled Britain's empire into a dominant economic and military position. The collision of these two empires took many years and caused much bloodshed. In fact, the troubles started well before the eventual hostilities, festering as frustration mounted until finally boiling over. Such was the state of relations between the British Empire and Qing Dynasty for the better part of the century, its footing upended from the very start of relations. On July 3, 1858, both parties signed the Treaty of Tianjin, the culmination of over half a century of Chinese-British diplomatic relations. For the first time, Great Britain, along with France, Russia, and the United States, could establish ambassadors in Peking. The treaty also opened 11 more ports to foreign trade, established the rights of foreign vessels to freely travel the Yangtze River and for foreigners to travel inland in China, and guaranteed religious freedom for Christians. The Second Opium War ended with the same lopsided diplomatic victory as the first. This time, however, the international scene painted a different picture, with very different consequences. While in the…