AP World History: Modern 2023 - Collapse of the Qing Empire Flashcards

Historical vocabulary terms related to the collapse of the Qing Empire, derived from the 2023 AP World History: Modern FRQ document set.

Qing Dynasty

The ruling dynasty of China that, according to Karl Marx, fell to pieces due to the might of British arms and the introduction of a trade in opium.

British cannon

The military force used to compel China into the unlimited importation of opium and end the country's complete isolation from the civilized world.

Opium trade

A commercial exchange that changed China's balance of trade from a favorable position to an exhausting drain on the empire's silver reserves.

Treaties of Tianjin

Agreements signed in $1858$ that provided legal and economic advantages to European countries and Japan, including the provision that foreigners would not be subject to Chinese imperial jurisdiction.

Missionary question

The conflict regarding Western missionaries and Chinese converts acting as if they were outside of government control or exempt from the laws of China.

Chinese Alliance Association

A coalition of young Chinese men studying abroad who, in $1907$, advocated for the expulsion of the Manchu "alien race" and the restructuring of China based on liberty, equality, and fraternity.

Puyi

The child emperor of China who issued an abdication decree in $1912$, officially ending the Qing dynasty.

Empress Longyu

The regent who issued the abdication decree on behalf of Puyi, granting sovereignty to the people in favor of a republican form of government.

Republican Army

The military group whose uprising led various provinces to respond and ultimately forced the end of the Chinese empire.

District of Rong

A location in Guangxi Province where, circa $1850$, local bandits and rebels captured the capital, took government officials prisoner, and issued false orders using official seals.

District of Caozhou

A district in Shandong Province where, in $1896$, local reports highlighted a hatred between poor laborers and wealthy landowners that tempted many to join bandits armed with foreign rifles.

English mass-produced textiles

Foreign goods that competed with native Chinese industry, destabilizing communities of spinners and weavers.

Liberty, equality, and fraternity

The basic principles behind the new political and economic structure envisioned by the Chinese Alliance Association in their $1907$ proclamation.