What were the causes and effects of the Tai Ping Rebellion?
1 Answer
The Taiping Rebellion was caused by Hong Xiuquan and class differences, and led to a radical change in social and economic structure.
Explanation:
Before the rebellion occured, two things were happening. One, the market was highly exclusive- Cohongs and the British East India Company (with their opium, which everyone wanted to buy) were practically in control of the market.
A key idea in world history is that when the rich get too rich and the poor get too poor, change will happen.
Around this time, Hong Xiuquan believed that he was the brother of Jesus and formed his own group of people called the Society of God Worshippers (the Taiping tianguo). He led them to revolt, and it failed because they were mostly everyday people and not warriors.
However, it did cause a lot of havok, and so as a result, the Self Strengthening movment (attempt to westernize) and Guangxu's 100 days of reform were put into place. These allowed new technology and industry to be incorporated into Chinese culture.
