After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the failure of the Qing government brought an unprecedented national crisis to the Chinese nation, greatly deepened the semi-colonial degree of China society, and set off a frenzy of imperialism to carve up China. Under this historical background, the Boxer Rebellion broke out among the people and put forward the slogan of helping the Qing Dynasty to destroy the foreign countries, resisting and cracking down on imperialism.
At that time, under the threat of sophisticated military weapons from imperialist powers, the Qing government was forced to agree to allow foreign churches to preach in China. Moreover, religious forces were above the laws of the Qing government, church forces oppressed the local people, and the Boxer Rebellion was the first to resist foreign church forces. With the rapid development of the Boxer Rebellion, there appeared an official regiment within the Boxer Rebellion, that is, the Boxer Rebellion under the jurisdiction of the Qing government, which received salaries and listened to its orders. This also proves from the side that the development of the Boxer Rebellion received official support at that time.
The growing power of the Boxers killed foreign missionaries, which greatly frightened the imperialist powers. Subsequently, the imperialist powers prepared to send troops to China to suppress the Boxer Rebellion. At this time, the weakness of the Qing government was exposed, and it sent troops to suppress the Boxer Rebellion in order to humiliate and make peace. But by this time, the imperialist powers had sent troops to Beijing by force, and the Boxer Rebellion began to rise up against the invaders. The Qing government changed its previous attitude of clearing up and recognized the Boxer Rebellion as a legal organization.
With the Qing government recognizing the Boxer Rebellion as a legal organization under such a crisis background, with the acquiescence of Qing officials, a large number of Boxers entered Beijing. When the embassy staff of imperialist powers in Beijing began to cooperate with the invaders, the most famous one was Cleander, the German minister. The relationship between the Boxer Rebellion and foreigners in Beijing was tense. Cleander actually led sailors to shoot and kill more than 20 people while practicing the Boxer Rebellion.
And wantonly encouraged embassy personnel of various countries to kill members of the Boxer Rebellion. This provocative behavior makes the situation in Beijing even more out of control. Angry Boxers burned churches everywhere in Beijing, and finally Cleander, who was provoked by force everywhere, was shot by Qing soldiers. After Cleander was killed, the embassies of imperialist powers became the targets of the Boxer Rebellion.
Subsequently, in such a situation, foreign governments ignored the obstruction of the Qing government and formally established Eight-Nation Alliance to invade China. Subsequently, the soldiers of the Qing boxer cooperated with * * * to stop Eight-Nation Alliance. But how can broadsword and pike be the opponents of foreign guns of foreign powers? Their strength is very different, but even if the strength is very different, the Boxer did not retreat.
1900 On August 6th, Beijing was captured by foreign powers, and the fall of Beijing also marked the failure of the Boxer Movement. Empress Dowager Cixi and other rulers had fled the day before.
When the powers captured Beijing, Beijing suddenly became a purgatory on earth. After Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, it invaded Baoding in the south, Shanxi in the west, Zhangjiakou and Shanhaiguan in the north, burning and looting along the way. In addition to sending troops to Eight-Nation Alliance, Russia also sent troops to invade northeast China and slaughtered innocent civilians in China.
In Peking, Eight-Nation Alliance massacred China officials, civilians, Qing soldiers and Boxers who laid down their weapons. The city is full of cries and cries for help from women, children, old people and young people, and the streets are full of bodies. Coalition forces buried civilians alive like cattle. Boxer prisoners and civilians were driven into the alley and strafed by machine guns.
On the grounds of searching for Boxers and firearms, armies of various countries plundered property in Beijing, and government offices and houses were looted. Moreover, women in Beijing, the old and the young and the unruly, have been driven into hutongs and become official prostitutes' camps for foreigners. These women were supervised and raped at will by the allied forces.
Although the Boxer Rebellion was ignorant, it resisted the achievements of western scientific civilization and caused great damage to the achievements of China's modernization. However, the members of the Boxer Rebellion were mainly composed of ordinary people, and their ignorance was also caused by China's deep-rooted feudalism, which was the limitation of that era. In the face of Eight-Nation Alliance's foreign guns, the Boxer Rebellion kept holding long knives and did not flinch. Although defeated, we must also affirm the simple and strong patriotic spirit of the Boxer Rebellion. Therefore, Eight-Nation Alliance's heinous crimes in Beijing will be nailed to the shame of mankind forever.