The Downfall of China

The Downfall of China

China is the perfect example of what happens when one leader is given to much

power. The leaders of China were each very afraid of social reform, and the

consequences that outside influence may have on their customs. As a means of initiating

reform, they shut the entire Western world out almost completely. At the time it was a

move that served China well but in the long run it was the downfall of China. While

blindfolded, the Chinese were unable to see the great advancements of the Western

world. With an egocentric government, the Chinese citizens were neglected outside of the

palace walls and the country fell to shambles. Instead of stimulating economic growth the

government suppressed it as the rest of the world advanced. While focused on fear of

internal rebellion the Chinese leaders overlooked the status of their army and were not

prepared for the rest of the world as they fell so far behind in almost every advancement.

Had China remained in contact with the Western world it would have been possible for

them to be as advanced a civilization as the Western world.

As the Chinese government had their head buried in the sand with worry over

losing control of their empire, they neglected to maintain the basic essentials of a

functional country. All of China's canals eventually decayed as they were left unrepaired

for years, the ironworks that China once prided itself one became obsolete with out a

second look, and the army itself was no match for any Western army. The merchants

were of no avail to the poor Chinese civilians as their profits on land and education.

Upon shutting out the rest of the world China had forbidden the us...

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...Sun Yat-sen was to be

sworn in as the first president of the provisional government of China's new Republic.

Crippling defeat during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95

It was ignorant on China's part to assume that Europe wouldn't try to colonize

their country. Had China not shut out the Western world they would have been able to

keep advancing their army's equipment. As a result they might have been able to fight off

the British and the French during the Opium Wars. The Russian's would have been

happy to assist in return for a trading agreement. Fortunately China ended up with a new

Republic and managed to maintain order and participate in the last years of the

Industrial Revolution. In closing, had China not shut out the Western world as a means of

defense they might have been one of the leading countries in the world today.