AP World History - Period 3: Ottomans, Egypt, and Qing China

Ottoman Crisis

• Unclear succession rules and weak rulers weakened the Ottomans.
• Artisans faced declining demand due to cheaper Western goods.
• Internal fighting led to territory loss.
• Late 1700s: Russia expanded into Caucasus and Crimea.
• The Ottomans survived due to European divisions.
• The British supported the Ottomans against Russian expansion.

Attempts at Ottoman Reform

• Sultan Selim III's reforms angered Janissaries and officials; he was deposed in 1807.
• Sultan Mahmud II overthrew Janissaries in 1826 and utilized Western models for Tanzimat Reforms.
• Tanzimat Reforms (1839-1876): Introduced Western influences, a parliament, and a constitution.
• Ottomanism: Shifted loyalty to the Ottoman state, essential for a diverse empire.

Western Influence and Coups

• Reforms strengthened the state, but sultans were seen as barriers.
• Western-educated bureaucrats clashed with sultans.
• Ottoman rulers became economically dependent on Europe through foreign loans.
• Extraterritoriality allowed Europeans to live under European laws.
• Young Turk Revolution of 1908: Overthrew Hamid, retaining the sultan as a figurehead.
• Collapse in 1923 after WWI.

Napoleon’s Invasion in Egypt

• Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798, demonstrating Muslim vulnerability.
• 1798: Napoleon defeated the Mamluks in the Battle of the Pyramids.
• 1799: Battle of the Nile; Napoleon retreated.
• 1801: The British cut off French supply lines; French were forced to end conquest of Egypt.

The Failure of Westernization in Egypt

• Muhammad Ali emerged as the khedive and broke away from Ottoman rule (reigned 1805-1848).
• Industrialized with European help; peasants grew cotton and wheat.
• Updated the Egyptian military.
• Ali placed a tariff on British imports, later reversed.

European Intervention in Egypt

• Ali’s emphasis on cotton made Egypt a single export country.
• 1869: Suez Canal completed, increasing Egypt's strategic importance.

Dilemmas About the West

• Options: adopt Western technology or revert to Muslim tradition.
• British crushed Orabi’s rebellion in 1882 to save the khedive.

Mahdist Revolt in the Sudan (1881-1897)

• Sudanese nomads resented Egyptian administration centered in Khartoum.
• Muhammad Achmad, the “Mahdi,” united Sudanese in a jihad against Egyptians and British.
• 1897: British General Kitchener ended the Mahdist threat.

Qing China (1644-1912)

• Manchu nomads overtook the Ming Dynasty.
• 1644: Manchus seized Beijing, taking dynastic name “Qing”.
• Qing maintained Ming political/social systems while lifting bans on foreign travel and trade.

Qing Imperial Portraits

• Portraits enhanced the legitimacy of emperors.

Corruption and Social Disintegration

• Bureaucracy became corrupt by the 18th century.
• The gap between landowning and peasant classes grew.
• Public works projects dilapidated.

The Opium War (1839-1842; 1856-1860)

• British traded Indian opium for Chinese goods.
• Qing emperor forbid opium trade.
• Treaty of Nanking (1842): Hong Kong became a British colony; extraterritoriality granted.
• Spheres of Influence: Europeans forced trade and diplomatic exchanges, extending extraterritoriality.

Taiping Rebellion (1850-1865)

• Led by Hong Xiuquan, who established the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
• Proposed land redistribution and Christianity.
• The Qing defeated the Taiping.
• Self-Strengthening Movement: Qing officials encourage Western investments and army modernization.

Boxer Rebellion (1898-1901)

• Peasants formed the “Righteous and Harmonious Fists”.
• Initially aimed to destroy Qing and remove foreign influences but later worked to remove foreign power.
• Put down by Eight-Nation Alliance.

Fall of Qing Empire (1912)

• Underground secret societies continued uprisings.
• 1911-1912: Republican Revolution toppled the Qing dynasty.

Asian Migrations & the Global Economies

• Many Asians traveled to other locations looking for work of all sorts.
• Indentured servitude was common in China and India.