by Rodney Crutchfield

Created on: May 01, 2009   Last Updated: September 17, 2009

The Boxer Rebellion

By the late 1890s, foreign powers had gained dominance in most areas along the coast of China, and were basically in control of trade and all else in their area of influence. The United States, coming in late, called for an open door policy, that ensured equal access to the Chinese market for all nations and preserved the unity of the Chinese Empire. The Open Door Policy did not end the system of spheres of influence. It did, however, reduce restrictions on foreign imports imposed by the dominating power in each sphere.

The Open Door Policy was looked on favorably by most of the Chinese. There was a group, The Society of Harmonious Fists, also called the Boxers, that wanted all foreign influence ended and the foreign countries expelled from China. The Boxers were a secret organization, and members practiced a form of shadowboxing, which they believed gave them protection from bullets and swords.

The Boxers were upset over the takeover of Chinese lands by foreign countries. Their slogan was "destroy the foreigner." They especially disliked Christian missionaries and Chinese Christian converts. The Empress Dowager, Ci Xi, who had usurped power from her nephew, Guang Xu, secretly supported the Boxers. Naturally, she also wanted to see the foreigners expelled and all power restored to the Chinese throne.

At the beginning of 1900, bands of Boxers roamed the Chinese countryside, killing foreign missionaries and Chinese Christians. Their victims included foreign businessmen.

In June of 1900, the Boxers were joined by elements of the Chinese Imperial Army, and attacked foreign compounds in Beijing and Tianjiin. The German envoy was killed, and the legations of Great Britain, France, the United States, and several other nations, took refuge in a fortress inside of Beijiing, near the Forbidden City. The Chinese then laid siege to this area, keeping the foreigners virtual prisoners within the fortress.

On June 21, 1900, the Empress Dowager declared war on the foreign powers, a move resisted by the provincial governors.

The foreign compound remained under siege until August 14, 1900. At that time, an international army of the Eight Nation Alliance relieved the fortress. After relief of the fortress, these troops then turned to retribution, going into the Chinese countryside in search of accused Boxers, who were then executed.

On September 7, 1901, the Chinese government was forced to sign the Boxer Protocol. This protocol called for the arrest and execution for ten high ranking Chinese officials identified as leaders in the Boxer Rebellion. China also had to make monetary reparations which amounted to about $7 billion in today's' dollars.

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