The development of history has its own laws, and the demise of the Qing Dynasty just benefits at this juncture, even if it is not the Qing Dynasty, it will be another dynasty to end this thousands of years of feudal imperial dictatorship, which can only be said to be the inevitability of history.
However, the demise of the Qing Dynasty cannot be explained by historical laws alone, and there are many problems in itself. The rise and fall of a dynasty is directly related to the emperor, and the emperor of the Qing Dynasty who understands this truth the most is Kangxi.
Because of this, he will make a choice in choosing an heir, and choosing Yongzheng is also a correct choice. In the end, Yongzheng was also wise to choose Qianlong, so there was a later "Kangqian prosperous life", but it was only a flash in the pan.
Decline at the end of the Qing Dynasty
The decline of the late Qing Dynasty was largely to blame for Qianlong, when the failure of diplomacy between the Qing dynasty and other countries led Qianlong to order the blockade of entry and exit ports and officially began the policy of closing the country to the outside world, which further led to the closure of the eyes and ears of the Qing Dynasty.
Later, Britain became a Western power through the Industrial Revolution, while China was still building cars behind closed doors and turning a deaf ear to things outside the window. The Qing Dynasty thought about how to develop step by step all day, and did not encourage scientific and technological innovation, so that China's science and technology were thrown out of the West a few streets.
The Qing Dynasty was self-proclaimed, still blindly arrogant, self-proclaimed as the kingdom of heaven, not knowing that the outside world has changed, they are still immersed in the "peach blossom garden" they have created, and they do not know what has been experienced outside the house.
Qianlong's decision directly harmed his children and grandchildren, and a few decades later, the British ship's guns directly opened the southern gate of China, and the Opium War was the best embodiment of the gap in strength between China and Western countries.
In fact, the emperors of the late Qing Dynasty were still good, and this advantage was not reflected in the political concept. It can only be said that they are good emperors, painstaking, diligent, and have not slackened off in any government affairs, but they can do only labor, which does not work at all.
For example, in order to save the declining Qing Dynasty, the Daoguang Emperor actively rectified the rule of officials, quelled rebellions, and banned opium, which were beneficial to the country. But he did not have Kangxi's political means, and no amount of work could change the phenomenon of bureaucratic corruption.
The Xianfeng Emperor was also diligent in political affairs, and he was generous in reforming the government. He reused Han officials in an attempt to revive the Imperial Program. Zeng Guopan was in his next step of being an extremely popular subject, but at this time, the Qing Dynasty was worried about internal and external troubles, and it was impossible to save the country by relying on a Zeng Guofan alone.
The Xianfeng Emperor's greatest mistake was to favor Cixi and make their son emperor. If he knew that in the next few decades, Daqing would be made into a miasma by this woman, and he did not know whether he would regret taking her as a concubine.
However, the Xianfeng Emperor did not have the ability to predict the future, so Cixi's ability to take power was also due to the mandate of heaven, and in the face of fate, some things were helpless, just like this decaying Qing Dynasty.
Strategies to save the country
Due to Cixi's later performance, many people had a bad impression of her, believing that she was dictatorial and enjoyed extravagance, which indirectly led to the demise of the Qing Dynasty. But objectively speaking, Cixi is not useless.
At the beginning of the Tongzhi Emperor's ascension to the throne, the two empresses Cixi and Ci'an were obedient to the government, and with the help of Prince Gong Yixuan, she also did many things beneficial to the country, such as rectifying the rule of officials and reusing Han Chen, such as Zeng Guopan, Li Hongzhang, and Zuo Zongtang.
These three people alone can withstand most of the sky of the Great Qing, and it can be said that without their assistance, relying solely on the strength of Yi Chen, the Great Qing may not be able to survive Puyi's generation.
Cixi's ideas are too narrow, and all her reforms are based on self-interest. Many people compare her with Xiaozhuang Taihou, but Cixi does not have her macro pattern, so she is doomed to cultivate a second Kangxi.
Cixi had supported the Western affairs movement, but only to maintain feudal rule, not to reform China's political system at its roots. Therefore, although these policies for national salvation are useful, they cannot be long-lasting and cannot achieve the purpose of saving the country.
However, since the launch of the foreign affairs campaign, the military strength of the Qing Dynasty has indeed increased, and the navy and army have begun to operate. It was mainly the Opium War that ate the losses of the Westerners, forcing Cixi to begin to accept some of the Western business strategies.
As mentioned before, the importance of the emperor to a country. Although Cixi has also made many efforts, her vision is short-sighted, and she can only see her own feet and fingers. Therefore, under her rule, it was difficult for the Qing Dynasty to develop.
However, she knew that she would not let go of the emperor in this way, and successively raised two puppet emperors, Tongzhi and Guangxu. This dictatorial means was also an important cause of the demise of the Qing Dynasty, and both emperors had their own ideas and aspirations, but could not be exercised because of Cixi's dictatorship.
In order to regain his political power and get rid of Cixi's imprisonment, the Tongzhi Emperor resolutely decided to renovate the Yuanmingyuan under the condition of a shortage of state finances. He wanted to fix it and let Cixi move over, so as to cut off her rights.
However, the Tongzhi Emperor still thought too simply, and the later Guangxu Emperor was the best example. Even though Cixi lived in the Yuanmingyuan, she could still stir up the imperial court with her fingers. Her power has long been deeply rooted, and she cannot be easily removed by virtue of her status as a puppet emperor.
The two emperors who were imprisoned to helplessness could only watch the Qing Dynasty fall and could not do anything, so many people blamed the demise of the Qing Dynasty on Cixi's dictatorship. Imagine if you change an emperor who has the ability to turn the tide, whether everything will be different.
Missed emperor
In the late Qing Dynasty, the only royal family that could take on great responsibilities was Prince Gong Yixuan. At that time, he and the Xianfeng Emperor competed for the position of crown prince, but unfortunately, the Daoguang Emperor chose Xianfeng, if he had chosen him in the first place, he might have been able to hold out for many years.
Yi Chen's abilities and means were undoubtedly revealed in the "Xin You Coup", and after Emperor Tongzhi succeeded to the throne, the eight ministers who took control of the government made Cixi very dissatisfied, and Yi Chen and Cixi immediately launched a coup d'état, designed to arrest the eight ministers, and confiscated the power in their hands.
From this point of view, Yi Chen was able and decisive in his handling of things, and since then he has fully controlled the central organs. At the same time, he also held several positions, the prime minister of the royal family, and the affairs of the court. He also presided over the foreign affairs of various countries, and for a time his power was in full swing.
Yi Zhi is also a practical talent, he never rests on his laurels, but advocates that the country learn from foreign science and technology to enhance its own strength. Diplomatically, he reached peaceful agreements with European and American countries and used foreign resources to build a military industry.
At the same time, Yi Xun was also the leader of the Western affairs faction, when Zeng Guopan and Li Hongzhang and others wanted to carry out the Western affairs movement. However, they were blocked by the diehards in the DPRK, so they found Yixuan, and they did not expect Yixuan to agree to it as soon as he took a bite.
Due to Yi Chen's concept of "admiring the ocean and charming the outside", he was called "Ghost Six Sons" by diehards. But in China at that time, flattery was not a big problem, on the contrary, this attitude of actively learning advanced Western technology was recommended.
Yi Zhi is known as one of the pioneers of modern times, and has made indelible contributions to the modern industry and education of the mainland. If he had become emperor in the first place, the Great Qing dynasty might have ushered in a second prosperous era.
Unfortunately, Daqing missed him, leaving him devastated by Cixi in the later stages, and from then on, he collapsed, and all his efforts were in vain. The Qing Dynasty also eventually came to a tragic end, being won by the Western powers.