Chapter 19

China was one of the countries that confronted an aggressive and industrializing West while maintaining its formal independence, unlike some colonized areas. The governments of these regions avoided outright incorporations into European colonial empires, retaining some ability to resist the Europeans aggression and to reform or transform their own societies. Europe faced the immense military and political ambitions of rival of the European states. Second, they became a network of trade, investment, and they migrated from an industrializing and capitalist to generate a new world of economy. Third, European culture were inspired from French, English, or German language to convert into Christianity or to the study the European literature and philosophy. Lastly, they believed in a better future and its idea that nationalism, socialism, feminism, and individualism were a logical achievement.

China was one of their own victim of being successful. The economy and American food crops had been enabled because of the substantial population of growth and from that 100 million people in 1685 to some 430 million in 1853. For Europe there was a similar population, but no Industrial Revolution accompanied the amount of the number that increased of people. China also had an internal expansion to the west and south to generate anything that was about wealth and resources that derived from Europe's overseas empire. The state was increasingly enabling the effects as tax collection, flood control, social welfare, and public security. Hong Xiuquan, who is the younger brother of Jesus, was sent to cleanse the world of demons and to establish a "heavenly kingdom of great peace."Hong, himself denounced the Qing dynasty as foreigners who poisoned China and defiled the emperor's throne.

The general failure of 'self-strengthening' became apparent at the end of the century, when there was an anti-foreign movement known as the Boxer Uprising, which was caused by the northern China. The Boxers killed a lot of Europeans and Chinese Christians. The Western powers and Japan had Beijing occupied as to crush the rebellion and imposed a huge payment on China as a punishment. China remained a dependent country under the foreign control. There was also organizations as National Rejuvenation Study Society, Society to Protect the Nation, and Understand the National Shame Society that were not only Western science and technology but they were also the Western political practices that limit the authority of the ruler and permit people to take part in public life.

Japan modern transformation economy grew, it opened trades, and embraced of civilization and enlightenment from the West. Japan escaped from their semi-colonial entanglement with the West, but it also launched its own empire-building enterprise, even as European powers and the United States were carving up much of Asia and Africa into colonies to be influenced