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CHAPTER 39
CHINA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA
IN THE AGE OF IMPERIALISM
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Qing China in the 19th century was filled with turmoil as Western countries jostled for control there, as well
as in Japan and Southeast Asia. The British, having forced their way into China early in the century,
realized their balance of trade was not what they wished it to be. Their introduction of opium for sale in
China changed the equation dramatically, and the ensuing Opium Wars only served to reinforce British
control. Other rebellions that were fought later in the century changed nothing immediately, but they did
sow the seeds of revolution that would bring down the Qing early in the 20 th century. China’s fortunes
shifted in Southeast Asia as well, with several European powers seizing control there. By 1895, China had
become weakened enough to lose a war with Japan, and it became just a matter of time for the Qing.
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V.
The Decline of the Qing Dynasty
The Taiping Rebellion
Failure of the Late Qing Dynasty Restoration
Chinese Disintegration after 1895
Summary