Li Hongzhang and Prince Gong? Lead the Westernization Movement together and establish three naval teams of Beiyang, Nanyang and Fujian. Li Hongzhang not only signed the treaty of shimonoseki on behalf of the Qing government, but also signed such unequal treaties as the Xin Chou Treaty and the Viet Nam Treaty. At that time, all the people in the imperial court hoped to gain peace under the government by limiting these humiliating treaties, but China at that time was a "fat meat" to other countries, and no one was willing to give up plunder. Li Hongzhang not only led the Westernization Movement of "Middle School as the Body and Western Learning as the Use" to save himself, but also participated in the movement to suppress the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and actively studied the advanced technology of modern western countries.
Li Hongzhang, the pioneer of saving the country by industry.
Li Hongzhang, 1823, from Anhui. At the age of six, I can go to the bookstore to study, which shows that Li Hongzhang's family conditions are still relatively good. When Li Hongzhang was a child, he was gifted and intelligent. He also worshipped famous teachers and was familiar with the four books and five classics. Although the learning content of the Qing Dynasty greatly bound his thoughts, Li Hongzhang had a profound knowledge base. In the year when the Opium War broke out, Li Hongzhang won the first prize and became an excellent tribute all the way. Under the influence of his father, he went south to Beijing and took the provincial examination.
Li Hongzhang's father was an official in Beijing, and later Li Hongzhang entered imperial academy. Later, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement broke out, and Li Hongzhang also participated in it. After a career, Li Hongzhang regained Luzhou, Lixian and Hezhou by virtue of his own advantages. Li Hongzhang's reputation seems to be a household name at once, and he is gradually climbing to the peak of his life. However, in the late Qing government, political corruption aroused great interest, and Li Hongzhang's contribution attracted him jealousy. At that time, Li Hongzhang's rumors spread everywhere.
Later, Li Hongzhang was wooed by Zeng Guofan and established the Huai Army with a reputation in Anhui. Although Li Hongzhang was an official of the Qing government, his thoughts were not backward. Li Hongzhang advocates actively learning advanced technology from western countries and transforming it into our own things and our own strength. Therefore, Li Hongzhang established civil industry and military industry, which promoted the development of capitalism in China in the late Qing Dynasty. At that time, China's army was very backward, so most of its hopes were pinned on foreign mercenaries to resist the attack of Tian Ping's army, and the Huai army also used foreign guns, an advanced weapon.
The leader of the Westernization Movement promoted the modernization of China.
Since 1960s, the Westernization School in China in the late Qing Dynasty launched the Westernization Movement, aiming at saving the rule of the Qing government by introducing advanced western equipment, technology and arms. This movement did not give up the corrupt political system, but took the "Chinese style and western use" to the extreme. The products of Westernization Movement in this period were Jiangnan Manufacturing General Administration, Anqing Inner Ordnance Institute and Beiyang Navy which was completely annihilated in the Sino-Japanese War. Western capitalist countries opened the door to China with advanced armaments, and some scholars put forward that "learning from foreigners to control foreigners", and Feng Guifen's "anti-learning" advocated maintaining the rule of the Qing government with advanced western technology.
After the Opium War and the Second Opium War, the Qing government ceded territory to pay compensation, and the territorial sovereignty integrity of the country was destroyed, so it made up its mind to "strengthen itself", which was also the slogan of the early Westernization Movement. The budding capitalism in western countries has developed into a powerful capitalist country, but China's economic and political system has hindered the development of the budding capitalism. The slogan of the Westernization Movement in the later period was changed to "seeking money", because China's finance was not enough to support the huge compensation after ceding land for many times. Therefore, in the later Westernization Movement, railway, mining, telegraph, textile and other industries were established, all of which were civilian industries, and "China Merchants Bureau" was the largest civilian enterprise at that time, thus promoting the development of national industries.
In addition to those civilian industries, the Westernization Movement also reformed education, established new schools, sent China students to study abroad, and trained a large number of scientific and technological talents, translators and military talents. The Westernization Movement failed with the total annihilation of Beiyang Navy in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. In this way, no one survived, which also caused the Westernization Movement to suffer heavy losses and never recovered.
Dedication to the country, but bear a hundred years of blame.
Li Hongzhang and Prince Gong? The Westernization Movement initiated by Zeng Guofan and Zuo ended in this way. Li Hongzhang worked for the Qing government all his life, participated in various negotiations and peace talks, or suppressed Li Hongzhang by force. Although the surrounding environment is full of corruption, Li Hongzhang stands out from the mud unscathed. Although unable to resist the provocation of other countries, Li Hongzhang advocated learning from western countries and turning other people's things into his own. Even Empress Dowager Cixi, the head of the die-hards at that time, adopted the policy of fostering Westernization.
After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the Beiyang Navy was completely annihilated, and China was forced to make peace again. As a court minister, Li Hongzhang was the first person who decided to go to Japan for peace. Besides Li Hongzhang, there is also Prince Gong Yi. , and other officials, Li Hongzhang was forced to sign the treaty of shimonoseki, and Li Hongzhang hoped that all the blame would be borne by himself to preserve the reputation of the little prince. After the news was sent back to China, there was a famous "writing on the bus", and Li Hongzhang was not understood, abused and humiliated by the students at that time. So he devoted himself to the country, but he was scolded by the world for nearly a hundred years. However, China Commercial Bank in the Westernization Movement has remained to this day, becoming one of the top 500 enterprises in the world. This is also a contribution to Li Hongzhang's current economic development.
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Li Hongzhang hesitated when signing, which is not only a question of whether to bear the blame, but also related to the rule of the Qing government and must be cautious. The Qing government, which was played by those countries, had no other way, the weapons were not advanced enough, the system was backward, and the top management did not support reform and innovation, which made Li Hongzhang have no way out except making peace. Unfortunately, Li Hongzhang's reputation in his life became a funerary object of the Qing government.