Eight-Nation Alliance
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The Eight-Nation Alliance (Traditional Chinese: 八國聯軍) was an alliance of 8 nations (Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) which put down the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900. The military contingent from the United States was called the China Relief Expedition.
At the end of the campaign, the imperial government was forced to sign the unequal Boxer Protocol of 1901.
[edit] Leading factors
At the end of the 1800s due to foreign involvement within China, and the Empress Cixi's passive approval, resentment towards the foreigners was on the rise. Social differences and the technology gap encouraged these sentiments. These resentments grew to the extent that action against foreign companies, personnel, and even items such as violins, automobiles, phone lines etc. was carried out. Diplomats were assassinated, businesses vandalized and items were set on fire in the streets.
Although the Qing government formally condemned these violent actions, they failed to prosecute the people that carried out the crimes, and it is thought that they encouraged them from behind the scenes.
Citing the necessity of protecting their citizens, these eight foreign countries sent troops to quell the rebels. Some other informal motives, apparently, were the opportunity of further access to the Chinese market and exploitation of the Chinese.
[edit] Events
Troops of the eight countries arrived, entered and occupied Beijing on August 14th, 1900. Empress Cixi, the Emperor, and higher officials fled the Imperial Palace for Xi'an, and sent Li Hongzhang for peace talks.
During their occupation of China, they ransacked many houses and commited various atrocities against civilians, including rape and murder.
Troops and participants of the Eight-Nation Alliance were largely responsible for the ransacking and pillaging of many historical artifacts of Chinese nationalist origin, such as those found in the Summer Palace, and instigated the burning of many prominent Chinese buildings.
[edit] Perception by modern Chinese
This event has been largely viewed by the Chinese with shame and as foreign aggression, both in mainland China and Taiwan. It has been made into film a few times that essentially played upon Chinese nationalist sentiments. [1] For more details from the Chinese perspective, see Boxer Rebellion.
de:Vereinigte acht Staaten
