Tuesday, May 16, 2023

A Review of The Boxer Rebellion and the Great Game in China by David J. Silbey

 Silbey, David J. The Boxer Rebellion and the Great Game in China. New York: Hill and Wang, 2012.

The BoxerRebellion of 1899-1900, a formative event in Chinese history and imperialism within East Asia, was a violent uprising against the rising influence of foreigners. Russian, Japanese, German, American, Italian, French, Austrian, and British troops joined in the campaign to stamp out the Rebellion. In The Boxer Rebellion and the Great Game in China. David J. Silbey’s central theme is the competition between the imperial powers, all attempting to gain more influence in China. Each nation contributed to joint military operations, but each nation’s imperial ambitions determined their actions. Despite eventual success, mistakes during the conflict and the occupation arose as the imperial powers attempted to gain an advantage against each other. Imperial ambitions led to a Great Game in which “Imperial rivalries overwhelmed military good sense” (199). On the northwest frontier, Russia and Britain had long used intrigue and strategy through the Great Game to control Central Asian territories both considered necessary. China remained one of the last imperialistic targets, with each nation vying for an upper hand.

Silbey also examines the violence and motives of the Boxers. Shouting the slogan, “Support the Qing, exterminate the foreigners,” the Boxers massacred Chinese Christians and missionaries and eventually laid siege to the foreign legations within Beijing (34). While the Boxers used extreme violence, Silbey demonstrates that the Rebellion was a logical response from peasants threatened by natural disasters, technology, and foreigners. The expansion of railroads led to the loss of employment for many peasants, who previously worked as laborers and boatmen on the canals. The railway completely refashioned the Chinese economy and displaced multitudes from their occupations. Reporter Wilbur Chamberlain expressed the frustration of the common Chinese laborer, “One railroad takes the place of a thousand or ten thousand coolies, who have, like their ancestors for generations, been carrying freight for a living. These coolies are thrown out of employment.” (39).   In addition to the loss of employment, Chinese farmers faced difficulties from a drought followed by a flood in Shandong province in 1898-1899. Meat was scarce, and most lived just above starvation level (50). Both man-made and natural disasters compounded the misery of the typical Chinese citizen.

Boxers from Alpha History

The presence of Christian missionaries and their Chinese converts caused great anxiety among many Chinese. European nations supported their missionaries and Chinese converts against disputes with other Chinese. While the missionaries brought benefits such as Western education and medicine to China, cultural insensitivity often caused rising temperatures among neighbors. The presence of missionaries created an “alternative power structure” within Chinese communities causing deep resentment among many communities (43). The Chinese government, headed by the Empress Dowager Cixi, found itself constrained by a need for reform and hatred toward foreigners. The Empress feared suppressing the insurrection owing to the great popularity of the Boxers among the majority of Chinese. Concurrently, the Empress feared the consequences of mass unrest but hoped to use the Boxers against foreign outsiders. Hence, the government reacted with confusion.

The military victory of the allied foreign powers was arduous, with the first relief expedition failing and the attempt to capture Beijing more complicated than often reported. While the Boxer massacres of Christians were savage, the foreign reprisals featured rape, looting, and indiscriminate killings. The Boxer Rebellion served as an example of patriotism to future revolutionaries as diverse as Sun Yixian and Mao Zedong (235). For these future leaders, the Boxers became a template on which to draw their own ideals and values. The mistrust exhibited by the foreign powers forecast struggles yet to come.

Any cooperation displayed during the rebellion dissolved into total war with the start of World War I. The efficiency displayed by Japanese troops foretold the defeat the Japanese laid upon the Russians in the Russo-Japanese War. The British and Germans began a naval race, with both nations building giant dreadnaughts. The Boxer Rebellion saw the end of the Victorian Era as QueenVictoria died before the signing

Silbey performs an admirable job in his descriptions of the military campaigns of the Allied powers and draws upon a wide variety of American and British primary sources. However, the lack of sources from other European nations and Chinese sources leads one to desire a more comprehensive work on the Rebellion, drawing upon sources from all the major players. Detailed maps would also be welcome. In addition, while the endnotes are helpful, the lack of a bibliography handicaps the reader in any examination of the author’s sources. Silbey provides an engaging and readable account of this important event in Chinese and Imperial history with an emphasis on the military campaigns. However, a more complete volume utilizing the sources of all the participants is still needed.

Rob Leverett

1 May 2023

 

 

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