Fear Is the Greates Enemy

Research Paper

Shawn Zhang

Open Door Policy

The Open Door Policy, enabling many imperial powers access into China, did give certain benefits to U.S. However, overall, its malevolent contribution and legacy are not neglectable. In the late 1800s, Britain, Japan, Russia, Germany, and France had created strong sphere of influences in China. Fearing that the colonial powers would completely control China's market, yearning to benefit from trades with China as well, U.S. proposed the Open Door Policy which allowed every imperial power, instead of Britain only, had right to participate in China's trades. This policy greatly benefited the imperial powers but hugely damage the economy of China, who underwent hundreds of unfair treaties in both markets and politics. Being self-sufficient for hundreds of years, Chinese had strong antipathy toward foreign influence. Eventually, under the secret support of the Empress Cixi, Chinese martial artists launched the Boxer Rebellion and killed a lot of foreign missionaries and residents, including many Americans. After that, using this as an excuse, U.S. and other seven nations invaded Beijing, rubbed and destroyed myriads of Chinese ancient antiques and architectures with uncountable values. The policy originated Chinese's antipathy toward Americans, which still exists slightly today, and greatly worsened the two nations' relationship. The legacy caused by the policy let China struggled for many years. To evaluate fairly, Open Door policy has more deleterious effects than its positive contributions to the world.

China's huge population and wealth greatly stimulated the foreign power's interests, which eventually lead to Open Door Policy, the loot in a burning house. China, the huge agriculture prosperous nation, occupied almost one- third of the world's GDP in 1800s. However, the wealthy nation has very weak military force. Suffered from war, opium consumption, interior corruption, and foreign intervention, China had become known as the "sick man of Asian". It was forced to sign a large number of unfair treaties with Britain, Japan, Russia, Germany, and France. The United States started fearing that China would eventually turn into parts of colonies and Americans' trade interests associated with China would be threatened. In 1899, John Hay, the Secretary of State John Hay issued the Open Door notes which guaranteed all the nations equal rights in participating trades in China, as Suigita, Yoneyuki wrote, "... as a theory, the Open Door Policy originates with British commercial practice, as reflected in treaties conclude with Qing Dynasty China after the First Opium War." However, the policy only benefited the foreigners. Operating under those unfair treaties, Chinese merchants suffered from the loss due to unfair taxes, in which they had to pay more taxes than the foreigners, unfair competitions, in which the foreign business usually had government or even armed-force support, and negative foreign influence, in which segregation in public services such as restaurants and theaters was rampant. Moreover, foreign business often took advantages from the low-income Chinese workers, increasing their working hours with decreased pay. The huge nation's economy kept declining. The policy actually allowed more nations to rob the already sick nation.

Chinese's resentment toward Open Door Policy eventually led to Boxer Rebellion which caused hundreds innocent deaths. China had been self-sufficient for centuries. The sudden drastic foreign interferes stimulated many Chinese's antipathy. People blamed China's fall on the foreigners and believed the nation would revive if the "foreign devils" were eliminated. Boxer Rebellion, "the 1900 uprising against foreigners in China - led by a society of martial artists secretly encouraged by the Dowager Empress Cixi", was one of the famous rebels. This group believed that their martial arts would make them invincible and restore the nation. However, most of their targets were missionaries, foreign residents, and Chinese Christians who had no means of defense. The movement started in May of 1900 and by the August, there were estimated 360,000 Boxers in Beijing. They sieged the foreign legations