Foreign Devils use Spheres of Influence
to their Advantage
September 18, 1910
After the Taiping
Rebellion, warlords negotiated and granted Austria, France, Germany, Great
Britain, Italy, Japan, and Russia exclusive trading rights, with monopolies
on certain trading ports in China during the 1900's (1). Western influences imported Opium from India to China, which
became a high demand for the Chinese people. Chinese officials tried to prevent the addictive drug but failed.
Britain declared war on China with problems called the Opium
Wars. (2). British claimed
victory and subjected the Chinese to unequal treaties (3). Unequal treaties forced our nation to
pay for the costs of the Opium Wars, open ports for British trade, provide
Britain with control of Hong Kong, and grant extraterritoriality
to British citizens in China (4). Europeans
in China were only subjected to the laws of their country and not under Chinese
rule.
To
the Chinese, foreigners seemed insatiable, or impossible to satisfy (5). These
foreign devils are controlling our natural resources, trade, mining, and
transportation (6). “They
also gained rights of administrative rights, missionary rights,
extraterritorial jurisdiction, redemption on tax and tariff, and of railway
construction” (7). Our
government is loosing power and our country growing weaker. Western domination has obtained huge sums
of money because of spheres of influence (8). Is this really the way we want our country to be run? Westerners coming in and telling us
what we can and cannot do. Mark
Sullivan, a journalist and historian of America, states a comment about the
spheres of influence in Our Times, “Spheres of influence was really a
euphamism for the partition (carving up) of China” (9). People from other countries are
considering the spheres of influence as a dividing and separation of our
country. This is not the type of
thing we want other countries to think of when they think of China.
There is much room for improvement in China.
Hopefully someday there will be a solution for foreign domination. The Chinese government is stuck, and feels
there is no way out. We have
endured this for many years and there is still no answer. The country is falling apart. We need
a change to open the door to a new and improved China.
Sources:
(1) Spieglvogel J. Jackson. World History. The Human Odyssey. Cincinnati: West Educational Publishing, 1998.
(2) Caswell, Thomas. “China,”
http://regentsprep.org/Regnets/global/themes/emperialism/china.cfm (1990-2003).
(3). ibid.
(4) ibid.
(5) Menton K., Linda, Tamura H., Eileen. China Understanding Its Past. USA:
University of Hawai?i Press, 1998.
(6) ibid.
(7) Kwok, Alexander. Spheres of Influence in China and the
Open Door Policy
http://www.hoover.archives.gov/exhibits/China/Political%20Evolution/19thc/19thhome.htm#spheres (9 July1999).
(8) Menton K., Linda,
Tamura H., Eileen. China
Understanding Its Past. USA:
University of Hawai?i Press, 1998.
(9) Sullivan, Mark. The Open Door Policy – Conflicting
Views. http://www.socialstudieshop.com/Lesson_64_Notes.htm (1900-1925).
Images:
1.) Spheres of influence map: 19th Century The Doors Open: Spheres of
Influence.
<http://www.hoover.archives.gov/exhibits/China/Political%20Evolution/19thc/19thhome.htm>
2.) Chinese cartoon: Caswell, Thomas. “China,”
http://regentsprep.org/Regnets/global/themes/emperialism/china.cfm (1990-2003).