The content of this article comes from the Internet, if it is inconsistent with the actual situation or there is infringement, please contact to delete. This article is only published in today's headlines, please do not move.
The Decline of the Jiadao: The Rise and Fall of the Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty, at the time of the decline of Kadao, was one of the most powerful empires in East Asia. However, after experiencing the "Kang Qian Dynasty", this huge empire embarked on the road of decline. Officials indulged in pleasure and conformity, while the people suffered from poverty. The country's situation deteriorated, and finally fell under the butcher's knife of the great powers under the fire of the Opium War. The reign of the Jiaqing and Daoguang dynasties became a watershed in the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty, which was called "the decline of the Jiadao" by later generations.
From a financial point of view, in the forty-second year of Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1777), the Qing treasury still had 81.82 million taels of silver savings, but by the Jiaqing period, the treasury savings continued to evaporate, and in the thirty years of Daoguang (1850), only 8.96 million taels remained. This trend of fiscal deterioration signaled the decline of the Qing dynasty. From a socio-economic perspective, the price of food and daily necessities rose four to five times from the end of Qianlong to the early years of Jiaqing, leaving ordinary people in a situation of hardship and hunger. The escalating social class contradictions led to the White Lotus Uprising in 1796, which lasted nine years and swept through the five provinces of Sichuan, Chu, Xiang, Yu, and Shaanxi. The Qing government had to use huge financial resources and mobilize the army throughout the country to suppress the uprising. During this uprising, the Qing Dynasty's Green Battalion and Eight Banner troops were too corrupt to withstand the pressure, and the imperial court had to rely on the Rural Self-Defense Forces, laying the groundwork for the rise of local power in the later late Qing Dynasty.
The fundamental reason for the decline of Kadao lies in the decay of the feudal system. First, the rapid increase in population has led to the intensification of the contradiction between people and land. In the early years of the Qing Dynasty, war killed a large number of people and left the land deserted. But with the restoration of the ruling order, the population gradually increased, and land resources were tight. Especially during the Qianlong period, the Qing government introduced high-yield crops such as sweet potatoes and corn and abolished agricultural taxes. The population grew dramatically, from 143 million in the sixth year of Qianlong (1741) to 364 million in the 17th year of Jiaqing (1812). This rapid population growth has put enormous pressure on land and resources. Mountainous land was exploited and forest resources were gradually depleted, while China's socio-economic system was still dominated by feudal natural economy, and the development of industry and commerce was slow, unable to accommodate the excess population, causing the economy to fall into the "Malthusian trap". Large numbers of people live on limited arable land, and living standards are low, leading to economic stagnation.
Second, the exploitation and encroachment by corrupt officials and landlords and gentry has led to a high degree of land concentration and a sharp escalation of social contradictions. Since the late Qianlong period, corrupt officials have emerged one after another, such as the big corrupt officials represented by Hejun, who colluded with various landlords and wealthy businessmen to plunder the people, resulting in a high concentration of land. The poor peasants had nowhere to go, so the displaced people fled, culminating in a massive peasant uprising. This peasant uprising dealt a heavy blow to the Qing government's finances, eventually leading to the rise of local power, laying the groundwork for the collapse of the Qing government.
However, the internal causes of Kadao decline are not the only causes. The abnormal climatic environment also had an important impact on the decline of the Qing Dynasty. In 1815, Mount Tambora erupted on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, releasing huge amounts of energy and forming a highly reflective sulfur dioxide cloud that drifted across the globe, causing global temperatures to drop. This climate event has led to cooling and extreme weather in China, such as snow in Taiwan in two winters and snow in Jiangxi in June, affecting agricultural production. More seriously, these climate changes led to reduced agricultural production, further weakening the Qing dynasty's economic base.
Combining internal and external factors, the economic, political and social situation of the Qing Dynasty deteriorated sharply during the Jidao Middle Decline, which eventually led to the decline of the Qing Dynasty. The story of the decline of Kadao not only makes people think deeply about the corruption and shortcomings of China's feudal system, but also makes people understand how natural disasters can have a profound impact on the rise and fall of a country. The historical evolution of the Qing Dynasty from the decline of the Kadao has provided many valuable historical lessons and important enlightenment for our understanding of history and social development.
The above content and materials are derived from the Internet, and the author of this article does not intend to target or allude to any real country, political system, organization, race, individual. The above does not mean that the author of this article endorses the laws, rules, opinions, behaviors in the article and is responsible for the authenticity of the relevant information. The author of this article is not responsible for any issues arising above or related to any of the above, nor does it assume any direct or indirect legal liability.