THE EMPIRE QING AND THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE (Essay Sample)

An Analysis of Empires in China and Russia Institutional Affiliation Student's name Similarities between Russian and Qing Empires Some similarities can be assessed regarding Qing and Russian empires, and the specific areas of comparison include the political, social, economic and cultural scope. For example, the structure of both governments was based on a tightly structured central form of governance. The political structure that was put in place, therefore, was responsible for the management of the entire nation. The rulers were given immense power, and they equally assumed a lot of authority (Larsen, 2011). Such leaders were therefore bestowed with the responsibility of making different decisions that bound people that they governed. The governments, therefore, put little or no emphasize on the need to invite views among people on diverse decisions that were to be made in the society. Qing Emperors, Russian Czars and “Sons of Heaven”-a human being whose responsibility was to maintain order on the earth as a result of responsibility given from heaven were characterized by close associations with Confucian scholar-bureaucrats that they appointed. Both regimes were staunch supporters of Manchus, and they were the immigrants from Manchuria to China, and they took over the echelons of power. They assumed authority in the country after the leadership of Ming. Their ease of governance was as a result of diverse similarities in leadership that could easily be noted between China and Russia over the same period of their governance. Most emperors that assumed power in Qing and Russia were associated with putting in place considerable strategies that could make it possible for holding unto the culture and traditions of the respective countries. Czars were regarded as absolute monarchs and their leadership was based on “divine right of kings.” The authority that was held by the emperors was therefore received from God and their role o Earth was to serve as lieutenants of God (Larsen, 2011). Both powers relied on the support offered by nobles in their efforts to administer their respective nations and the support varied from economic, in the making of political decisions as well as cementing the diverse cultural aspects within their boundaries. The efforts of Czars and Emperors were on emphasize among them to build and expand their territories and the need to develop their respective empires. They needed their empires to be a great power where all social aspects of the communities were integrated making life better for their natives. The Great I, also referred to as Czar Peter had to put in place strategies so that he can be like Western Europe (Drachewych, 2012). He created a Navy, chopped off his beards, and put in place strategies that could make it possible for promoting economic development in the empire. Peter equally forced aristocrats so that they can learn Math. Similar efforts were put in place in Qing by the then emperor; Qianlong I. There was, for example, the maintenance of military garrisons in Eastern Turkestan, an effort that could be likened to the setting up of Navies in Russia. The empires were, therefore, putting in place strategies that could make it possible for increasing the degree of security in the respective nation states (Drachewych, 2012). There was an encouragement towards the merchants for them to settle and this could be termed as an economic strategy well meant to uplift the living standards of people in the above-mentioned empires. Factors that led to the decline of Qing Dynasty The main factor that was at the core of the decline that can be considered as being external was European Imperialism. Large portions of Asia were being controlled by powerful European nations over the same period that the downfall was experienced. The existing superpowers in China among them Qing were put under constant pressure. It was enough to lead to massive decline over the same period. China was portrayed as being weak and vulnerable to attack by its neighbors. The decline can also be observed from an internal perspective. There was little loyalty from some natives among them ordinary Han Chinese as Qing rulers were from Manchus that is located in the North. Calamities that were as a result of Opium Wars were a clear indicator that the alien ruling dynasties had ultimately lost the Mandate of Heaven and therefore there was need for them to be overthrown. There was little regarding embracing modernity in the Qing dynasty, rather, there was purging of the potential modernizers. There was little to be learned regarding Meiji Restoration that was being practiced in Japan (Lieberman, 2008). The Chinese peasants therefore increasingly became reluctant to support regimes that were in place. The court of modernizers that were in place was purged by Qing. Uniting of local peasants and Qing armies was not enough to put an end to strategies that had been put in place by the foreigners. The effect was that this marked the beginning of an end to the Qing regime. Reasons for the decline of Tokugawa government The set of factors that led to the decline of Tokugawa government can be broadly categorized into internal and external set of factors. The main areas of concern as stated by natives were reasons to do with the high crop failure, exorbitant taxes that were being charged and high taxes levied on people. There were a high number of people that were starved over the same period. The majority of farmers were therefore obliged to sale their land, and the remaining alternative was for them to become tenant farmers. The associated high prices of necessities in the city meant that majority of people had to go hungry. Equally affected were the Daimyo and Samurai class of people and they were affected by great debts. The debts owed by the group were however canceled by Tokugawa government an there was an abolishment of some trade guilds (Lieberman, 2008). The government equally compelled the peasants in the cities to return to their rural homes where they were required to become farmers. Initial strategies by Japan was that it only allowed itself to trade with a few nations, it preferred to stay in a state of isolation. Few Dutch ships were for example allowed to dock in Japan and equally carry out their trading activities in Japan. Shogun agreed to trade with the Americans when the later had requested for “treaty of friendship” and be availed with trading rights. The fighting prowess by the Americans equally ushered in other countries among them being Russia, Britain, and Dutch governments. The resulting war meant that the regime in existence was subdued and this marked the Meiji restoration. The decline of the dynasty, therefore, can be attributed to the invasion of foreign players. References Drachewych, O. (2012). Shattering Empires: The Clash and Collapse of the Ottoman and Russian Empires, 1908–1918. Revolutionary Russia, 25(1), 98-100. Larsen, K. (2011). The Qing Empire (China), Imperialism, and the Modern World. History Compass, 9(6), 498-508. Lieberman, V. (2008). The Qing Dynasty and Its Neighbors: Early Modern China in World History. Social Science History, 32(2), 281-304. source..