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Chapter I Fighting against Foreign Aggression

1. What did the invasion of capital imperialism bring to China?

First, the invasion of western capital imperialism caused poverty and backwardness in modern China.

Modern capital-imperialist powers launched a series of wars of aggression against China, forcing the China government to sign an unequal treaty, extorting a large amount of war reparations and directly occupying a large territory of China. Establish concessions, seize leased land and divide spheres of influence. The great powers have seriously damaged the territorial integrity of China. Seriously damaged the sovereignty of China.

The powers directly gave orders to the Qing government through their envoys in Beijing, undermined China's judicial sovereignty through consular jurisdiction, and directly intervened in China's internal affairs and diplomacy by controlling China Customs. They also trained and bought agents to oppose imperialism and feudalism by suppressing the people of China, thus turning those in power in China into their own agents and tame tools.

Through the privilege of unequal treaties, the powers forced China to open its trading ports and negotiate tariffs, leaving China in a position of being trampled upon by others in foreign trade. Coupled with large-scale commodity dumping and capital export, China has gradually become a commodity sales market and raw material plundering place for foreign invaders, manipulating the main economic lifeline of China.

The great powers also infiltrated the culture of China. Some missionaries put on the cloak of religion and carried out aggressive activities. They also advocate "the theory of racial superiority and inferiority" and "the theory of yellow peril" to create public opinion for imperialist aggression.

Therefore, the aggression of capitalist imperialism and the oppression of the people by domestic feudal forces are the fundamental reasons for China's backwardness and poverty.

Second, the invasion of western capital imperialism has hindered the process of China's modernization.

Although, when foreign powers invaded China, they also acted as an unconscious tool of history, bringing western capitalism and its technology into China and stimulating the occurrence of capitalism in China. But subjectively, I don't want China to become an independent, prosperous and modern country. Therefore, they always try their best to suppress the development of Chinese national capitalism and obstruct and destroy the progress of China society. History has proved that only by overthrowing the rule of imperialism and feudalism in China can China embark on the road of independence and prosperity.

2. What is the significance of China's modern anti-aggression war?

First, the anti-aggression war launched by the people of China in modern times has dealt a heavy blow to the imperialists' ambition to invade China and shattered their plot to carve up China and turn China into a complete colony.

The imperialist powers launched wars of aggression against China again and again, not only for the sake of trade, but for the purpose of plundering and expanding the colonies and for their own colonial expansion interests. Every war is accompanied by bigger dreams and more benefits. However, every invasion was resisted by the people of China, which made their arrogance and ambition impossible. It is the heroic struggle of the people of China that shows the indomitable patriotism of the people of China, and also gives foreign invaders a heavy blow and profound lesson, making them realize more and more clearly that China is an invincible country. Although they can force the Qing government to sign one unequal treaty after another, they can never turn China into their complete colony. Especially after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, people from all walks of life in China made great efforts to explore and struggle for survival, which made the invaders see the unyielding great power hidden among the people of China and had to give up the policy of carving up China.

Second, the anti-aggression war waged by the people of China in modern times has educated the people of China, inspired the national spirit of the Chinese nation, inspired the people's fighting spirit against imperialism and feudalism, and greatly improved the national awareness of the people of China.

Imperialist aggression has brought great disasters to the Chinese nation, but there is no great historical disaster that has not been compensated by historical progress. The war of aggression against China launched by foreign powers and the failure of China people's anti-aggression war have educated the people of China from the opposite side and greatly promoted the people of China to think, explore and catch up.

After the Opium War, advanced China people began to learn from their mistakes, pay attention to understanding the international situation, study foreign historical geography, sum up the lessons of failure, and look for ways to save the country and defend the enemy, which led to the idea of learning from foreigners and mastering foreign skills.

After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, when the Chinese nation was facing life and death, stimulated by the imperialist carve-up frenzy and national crisis, the whole nation began to have a general awakening of national consciousness, and the idea of saving the nation from extinction was rising day by day.

It is this sense of crisis of national subjugation and extinction that enhances the national identity and cohesion of the Chinese nation and becomes the foundation for the Chinese nation to stand on its own feet and stand forever in the world.

3. What are the root causes and lessons of China's failure in recent anti-aggression wars?

First, the corruption of China's social system in modern times was the fundamental reason for the failure of the anti-aggression war.

After 1840, China gradually became a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. The rulers of the Qing Dynasty, from the emperor to the powerful, were mostly ignorant, ignorant of the general trend of the world and ignorant of defending the enemy. Due to political corruption, backward economy and conservative culture, on the one hand, the ruling class of the Qing dynasty was closed and self-controlled, arrogant and extravagant, and blindly attacked; On the other hand, the rulers and commanders of the Qing army have no ability and mentality to deal with war, which is not suitable for modern warfare. Many generals are afraid of dying and running away, and some even betray the interests of the country and the nation. The Qing government was particularly afraid of the masses, fearing that mobilizing the masses would endanger its rule, so it dared not mobilize and rely on the strength of the masses.

A series of compromises, concessions and surrenders by the ruling clique in the Qing Dynasty in foreign wars made him lose the reason for his existence in China. Without overthrowing him, it would be impossible to win the war against aggression.

Second, the backwardness of economy and technology in modern China is another important reason for the failure of the anti-aggression war.

At that time, Britain had experienced the industrial revolution, and the capitalist productive forces advanced by leaps and bounds, while China remained at the feudal level of the natural economy. The backwardness of economy and technology directly leads to the backwardness of military equipment, and military commanders do not understand modern military tactics, which leads to the low quality and combat effectiveness of the army.

Economic and technological backwardness is an important reason for the failure of the anti-aggression war, but it does not mean that economic and technological backwardness will definitely fail in the anti-aggression war. It was precisely because the China government at that time could not organize the anti-aggression war well, mobilize and utilize the people's strength, or even suppress the people, that its failure was inevitable.

(3) Lessons from the failure of China's previous anti-aggression wars: The people of China must combine the national struggle against imperialism with the class struggle against feudalism in order to accomplish the task of China's modern revolution.

The second chapter is the early exploration of the country's way out.

1. How to understand the significance, failure reasons and lessons of the peasant war in Taiping Heavenly Kingdom?

The Significance of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1) Peasant War

Although the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement failed, it has indelible historical achievements and great historical significance.

First, the Taiping Uprising dealt a heavy blow to the feudal ruling class, strongly impacted the ruling foundation of the Qing government, and accelerated the decline of the Qing Dynasty.

Second, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement is the peak of the old peasant war, which has new historical characteristics different from the previous peasant war.

Thirdly, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement also attacked the loopholes and orthodox authority of Confucian classics and weakened the spiritual pillar of feudal rule to some extent.

Fourth, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement also effectively cracked down on foreign aggression and taught the invaders a proper lesson.

Fifthly, in the Asian national liberation movement in the middle of19th century, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement was the one with the longest duration, the largest scale and the greatest influence. It merged with the national liberation movements of Asian countries and impacted the rule of western colonialists in Asia.

(2) The reasons for the failure of the peasant war in Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

First, subjectively:

First, the peasant class is not new, but the representative of productive forces and relations of production. They can't overcome the inherent class limitations of small producers, so they can't fundamentally put forward a complete and correct political program and social reform plan. It is impossible to stop and overcome the growth of corruption in the leading group itself, nor can it maintain the unity of the leading group for a long time, which weakens the centripetal force and combat effectiveness of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Second, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom mobilized the masses with religious organizations, but worshipping God was not a scientific ideological theory. Not only did it not guide the war correctly, but it also brought harm to the peasant war.

Third, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom failed to treat Confucianism correctly.

Fourthly, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom can't distinguish the invaders from the masses in western countries, and it still lacks a rational understanding of the western aggressors.

B, objectively speaking:

Chinese and foreign reactionary forces colluded to suppress the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

(3) Lessons from the failure of the peasant war in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom:

The Taiping Rebellion and its failure show that farmers have great revolutionary potential in semi-colonial and semi-feudal China. However, it can not shoulder the heavy responsibility of anti-imperialist and anti-feudal victory, and a simple peasant war can not complete the historical task of striving for national independence and people's liberation.

2. How to understand the nature of Westernization Movement and the reasons and lessons of its failure?

(1) Nature of Westernization Movement

The Westernization Movement was a self-help reform movement carried out by the Westernization School in the feudal ruling class of the Qing Dynasty in order to maintain the feudal rule of the Qing Dynasty. It was progressive, backward and conservative.

(2) Reasons for the failure of Westernization Movement

First, the Westernization Movement was feudal. The guiding ideology of the Westernization Movement is "learning as the body" and "learning from the West for use". The Westernization School tried to maintain and consolidate China's feudal rule by absorbing modern western production technology without changing China's inherent system and morality, which seriously restricted the development of the Westernization Movement.

Second, the Westernization Movement depended on foreign countries. Based on various privileges, western powers stepped up their aggression and control over China politically and economically. They don't want China to be really rich and strong, and the Westernization School relies on foreign countries everywhere in an attempt to obtain wealth from itself, which is tantamount to getting the eggs from the tiger skin.

Third, the management of westernization enterprises is decadent. Although westernization enterprises have a certain capitalist nature, their management is indeed feudal, and there are corruption phenomena such as embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds, extravagance and waste.

(3) Lessons from the failure of Westernization Movement: The landlord class could not shoulder the historical responsibility of China's modernization.

3. How to understand the significance of the Reform Movement of 1898 and the reasons and lessons of its failure?

(1) Significance of the Reform Movement of 1898

First, the Reform Movement of 1898 was a patriotic national salvation movement. At the critical moment of national peril, the reformists held high the banner of saving the nation from extinction and demanded that China develop capitalism through political reform to make it rich and strong. The political practice and ideological theory of the reformists not only run through the strong spirit of patriotism, but also promote the awakening of the Chinese nation.

Second, the Reform Movement of 1898 was a bourgeois political reform movement.

Third, the Reform Movement of 1898 was an enlightenment trend of thought.

Fourthly, the Reform Movement of 1898 not only created a new situation in ideological enlightenment and cultural education, but also put forward many new ideas in social customs.

(2) The reasons for the failure of the Reform Movement of 1898.

The failure of the Reform Movement of 1898 was mainly due to the limitations of the reformists themselves and the opposition of the powerful conservative forces headed by Empress Dowager Cixi. The limitations of the reformists themselves are highlighted in:

First of all, I dare not deny feudalism. Politically, they dare not fundamentally deny the feudal monarchy. Economically, although they demanded the development of capitalism, they did not touch the feudal economic base-feudal land ownership.

Secondly, I have illusions about imperialist newspapers. They clamored to save the country and survive, but fantasized that western powers could help them reform and transform. As a result, they hit a wall everywhere.

Third, fear the people. The activities of reformists are basically confined to the small circle of bureaucrats, scholars and intellectuals. They are not only divorced from the people, but also afraid and even hostile to them. Therefore, the movement failed to gain their support.

(3) Lessons from the failure of the Reform Movement of 1898.

The failure of the Reform Movement of 1898 not only exposed the weakness of the national bourgeoisie in China, but also showed that in semi-colonial and semi-feudal old China, it was not feasible to try to improve the top-down road by rule. In order to strive for national independence, democracy and prosperity, we must overthrow the semi-colonial and semi-feudal social system under the joint rule of imperialism and feudalism by revolutionary means.