Boxer Rebellion & South Africa tensions

Boxer Rebellion (1898-1901)

  • Causes: Chinese nationalism; anger at government for failing to block foreign influence; local government initially hesitant, then supported the rebellion
  • Coalition and action: eight-nation alliance including Britain, Russia, Japan, France, USA, Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary; captured Peking and defeated the rebellion
  • Outcome: China forced to pay compensation; humiliation for China
    • Amount: £67\,\text{million}
    • Period: over 39\,\text{years}
  • Consequences: Much of China came under foreign influence; increased potential for rivalry as powers pursued Chinese interests

Open Door Policy

  • Aims: maintain equal access to Chinese markets for all powers; prevent formal partition of China; preserve Chinese territorial integrity (broad interpretation)
  • Rationale: powers were willing to support it to safeguard their trading interests without full-scale division of China

South Africa: Tension between Britain and the Boers (Cape Colony to Jameson Raid)

  • 1814: Cape Colony comes under British control after the Napoleonic Wars
  • 1820: British immigration; English becomes the official administrative language; new tax system
  • 1834: Abolition of slavery; Boers dependent on slave labour; compensation offered but regarded as inadequate
  • 1835-1840: Great Trek; Boers migrate east to Transvaal and the Orange Free State
  • Conflicts with native peoples: border wars with Xhosa; Anglo-Zulu War of 1879; Zulu defeat at Isandlwana but British eventual victory after heavy fighting
  • 1877: Britain claims possession of Transvaal and Orange Free State after a failed federation attempt; Boers grow alarmed by British expansion
  • 1880-81: First Boer War; British defeated; Pretoria Convention of 1881 grants self-government to Transvaal and Orange Free State under British oversight; British retain military presence
  • 1886: Further gold discoveries in Transvaal attract many new settlers; Kruger restricts their political and economic rights
  • Rhodes and expansion: Cecil Rhodes promotes expansion from Cape Colony; Jameson Raid planned for 1895 to support rebelling settlers
  • 1895: Jameson Raid fails; deteriorates British-Boer relations and heightens tensions toward the Second Boer War era