Why is it said that "the defeat of the Sino-Japanese War marked the bankruptcy of the Westernization Movement."?

1. The Sino-Japanese War declared the bankruptcy of the Westernization Movement’s “seeking wealth” economically.

The direct costs of the Qing government’s disastrous defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1898-1899 included the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki and the payment of Liao redemption fees. The Treaty of Shimonoseki stipulated that Japan should be compensated for its military expenditure of 200 million taels of silver and allow Japan to open factories in China, which formally recognized the legal rights of capital from various countries to directly invest in China, because all major powers have the privilege of "equally benefiting from each other."

The implementation of this regulation directly caused the loss of civilian Westernization enterprises: after the war, due to the payment of huge war indemnities, the Qing government's finances were at the end of its rope. Not only was it unable to continue to build Westernization enterprises on a large scale, but also Implement a "throw away helmet and armor" policy towards civilian enterprises.

2. The Sino-Japanese War declared the bankruptcy of the "self-improvement" of the Westernization Movement militarily.

The new army and military facilities established during the Westernization Movement were the material foundation and center of gravity of "self-improvement." Among them, military facilities serve the construction of the army, and the new army is the core of "self-improvement."

The Beiyang Navy and Army are the essence of the new army. It is the army-building principle that Li Hongzhang, the leader of the Westernization Movement, spared no expense and effort for decades to "purchase sophisticated Western weapons as the first priority" It was the first "strong team" in China at that time.

3. The Sino-Japanese War politically declared the bankruptcy of the Westernization Movement.

After the war, the Westernizationists experienced divisions, confrontations and changes, and it was difficult to form a unified political force. Affected by the defeat of the Sino-Japanese War, Li Hongzhang, the actual organizer of the Westernization Movement, fell into a situation where people criticized him and "everyone in the country said he could be killed."

Soon, the imperial court transferred him from his post as governor-general of Zhili and minister of Beiyang to serve in the cabinet to weaken his power. In this case, he turned to safety to protect himself, and he never recovered from his fall. Another key figure in the Westernization movement, Prince Gong Yixin, who advocated "self-improvement", turned into a die-hard.

Extended information

The Treaty Harm of the Sino-Japanese War

The "Treaty of Shimonoseki" was the most serious unequal treaty since the "Treaty of Nanjing". It brought great harm to modern times. It has brought serious harm to Chinese society and is an important step for imperialism to transform China into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society.

The signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki has an important impact on China. First, the cession of large areas of territory such as Taiwan further undermined the integrity of China's sovereignty, stimulated the ambitions of the great powers to carve up China, and further deepened the national crisis.

The second is the huge amount of compensation, which has increased the burden on the Chinese people. At the same time, it accelerated the development of Japanese militarism. As a result, the Qing Dynasty borrowed heavily from foreign countries, causing the great powers to control China's economic lifeline. The opening of treaty ports allowed the imperialist aggressive forces to penetrate deep into the mainland of China.

It is allowed to invest and set up factories in China, and other powers have quoted the "equal interests" clause and rushed to open factories in China, which has seriously hindered the development of China's national capitalism.

The "Treaty of Shimonoseki" reflects the aggressive requirements of imperialism to export capital and divide the world. Foreign capitalist aggression against China has entered a new stage, and the degree of semi-colonialization of Chinese society has greatly deepened.

Baidu Encyclopedia - The Sino-Japanese War