Colonial expansion also bullied the weak and feared the strong? Why did the great powers completely colonize India but spared the Qing Dynasty?

Colonial expansion has never been about bullying the weak and fearing the strong. There are only countries that the colonists cannot conquer. The British could completely colonize India, but the Western powers could not colonize the Qing Dynasty even if they launched the Opium War and Japan launched the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War. The reason can be simply summarized as the background of the times.

Era background: India and the Qing Dynasty, two ancient civilizations with different destinies

In 1613, the British established a trading post in Sutra in western India. At this time, India was on the verge of collapse. The Mughal dynasty was at the end of its tether. This giant was about to fall. The country was falling apart. At the same time, the internal struggle was fierce, and many officers were working on their own. This is a bit like the three dynasties in ancient China. Centralization is a joke. Moreover, the ministers of the Mughal Dynasty had their own evil intentions, and they only wanted to protect their own interests.

So when the East India Company took advantage of the situation, the natural military policy was to defeat them one by one, watch the internal fighting within the Indian dynasty, and reap the benefits for themselves. And when you look at this period of history, you will find that in many cases only a few hundred British soldiers can defeat tens of thousands of Indian troops. Why is this? The British were very smart. They spent a lot of money to bribe the important officials of the dynasty and asked them to do things for the British. In the end, when the money they invested opened the dynasty's treasure house full of gold bars, silver ingots, pearls and gems, they couldn't help but say in their hearts, it was worth it! For example, during the occupation of Bangladesh, the Clive colonial bandit told his experience when he returned to England to report on his work. He said that he only robbed 200,000 pounds from the treasury, which was really too little, and he also expressed regret.

(British Colonization of India)

But the Qing Dynasty was different. When the British colonized India, the Qing Dynasty was still in the Qianlong period. Under the painstaking management of the previous emperors of the Qing Dynasty, the treasury was full, and the children of the Eight Banners were able to conquer and fight well. At that time, Britain had to send envoys to buy Chinese porcelain, tea, etc. Why didn't Britain colonize the Qing Dynasty at that time? Because it was impossible to defeat them. During the Qianlong period, they almost won all external and internal wars. However, due to the wolfish ambitions of the great powers, the land of China was full of victims, filled with gunpowder smoke, and the people were in dire straits. In the late Qing Dynasty, China could no longer be the cultural center of the world.

After Qianlong implemented the policy of seclusion, China gradually became backward in the late Qing Dynasty. From a historical perspective, we also know that the late Qing Dynasty transitioned to a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. So why did the Qing Dynasty still not become a colony after being invaded so many times by foreign powers?

(Foreign powers invaded the Qing Dynasty)

External reasons

The Qing Dynasty at that time was too large, and capitalist countries would not tolerate the exclusive use of separate countries, that is, mutual checks and balances , which also gave the Qing Dynasty a chance to breathe, although in the end Cixi misjudged the situation and declared war on the eleven countries, which led to the intensification of China's semi-colonization. But it is undeniable that the great powers were not convinced by each other, which was also an important reason why the Qing Dynasty did not completely become a colony.

Internal reasons

A skinny camel is bigger than a horse

China’s five thousand years of cultural heritage has a way of thinking deep in its bones: No matter you Whether it is the Qin and Han Dynasties, or the Tang and Song Dynasties, in the final analysis it is still an internal struggle among the Chinese people, so it does not matter who becomes the emperor, as long as they ensure that they have a mouth to eat. But if there is an invasion from outside, such as the Huns during the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Japanese pirates during the Tang and Song Dynasties, and the Western powers during the late Qing Dynasty, there will always be a group of leaders from the descendants of Yan and Huang who will stand up to drive out the Tartars and return China to us! Moreover, the proportion of rulers in the Qing Dynasty was very small. Moreover, when the Western powers invaded, the Boxer rebellion was also taking place in the country. Although the late Qing government was on the verge of collapse at that time, the people watched the country's mountains and rivers being slowly invaded again. Therefore, "supporting the Qing Dynasty and destroying the foreign countries" brought great trouble to the Western powers. Therefore, the foundation of a country made it impossible for the Qing Dynasty to be colonized.

(Boxer Rebellion)

The Qing Dynasty achieved a high degree of unification of imperial power

Perhaps many people are asking which dynasty’s imperial power was not unified. This is undeniable, but since Judging from the background of the era when India was completely colonized, it was because the ministers were in charge of their own affairs and only cared about their own interests, and these ministers controlled the lifeblood of the country. In the Qing Dynasty, since Yongzheng adopted Zhang Tingyu's suggestion to establish the Military Aircraft Department, courtiers basically had no power. This means that everyone has to obey the emperor's edict, and there is no rebellion by the courtiers. Therefore, in the final analysis, these ministers have no bargaining chips with the royal family.

Although in the late Qing Dynasty, Zeng Guofan's Hunan Army and Li Hongzhang's Huai Army had great power to overthrow the rule of the late Qing Dynasty, the imperial art and the means of checks and balances were used very well by the royal family.

The influence of traditional Chinese Confucian etiquette

This point is actually somewhat similar to the first point, but what I want to say here is that China’s Confucian etiquette, the three cardinal principles and the five constant principles have been reflected in life. In all aspects, everyone has to receive Confucian education from almost an early age. And no matter which dynasty wants to manage such a large country, it can only control it mentally so that all the people know where the red lines are. This was very prominent in the Ming Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, civil servants basically governed the country, which was often called the Donglin Party. This part of the party was very good at using words, but it was probably timid when it came to fighting. Then the Donglin Party members promulgated various documents. For example, Emperor Wanli had to sign with a red pen every year, and issued documents guiding spring plowing and autumn harvest. In short, they were instructions. As long as people can live according to this document, they will have no intention of rebelling.

This is the influence of Confucian culture, which allows the monarch to better manage the country. The Qing Dynasty also had the same eight-legged essay that must be known for the examination of merit. Therefore, on this basis, the people are very obedient and will only resist if their lives are threatened.

The great powers have already obtained the benefits they wanted from the late Qing government

This should also be the most important point. Why did the Opium War start? Because the West likes Chinese porcelain, silk, tea, etc. very much, and the Western exports to China are all woolen fabrics, which were dispensable to the people of the Qing Dynasty. The great powers that originally wanted to earn foreign exchange from the Qing Dynasty had no choice but to sell opium, shouting about free trade! So they launched a war and opened the door to the Qing Dynasty. Afterwards, they signed a series of unequal treaties to achieve the goal of free trade. After the great powers had enough to eat and drink, they no longer wanted or had to colonize the Qing Dynasty! Perhaps colonizing the Qing Dynasty would pay a greater price, but instead of doing so, it would be better to maintain the status quo.

The Qing Dynasty was different from India. Even if the late Qing government was fragmented, it would be impossible for the great powers to carve up China. China has a vast territory and rich resources, and the culture of the descendants of Yan and Huang has been passed down for thousands of years. How can it be that foreign powers can slowly encroach and assimilate it? In the end, he could only return to his own territory in despair.