The Qing Dynasty (Manchu) was similar to the Yuan Dynasty (Mongols) in that as a foreign regime, its rule was more stable than that of previous dynasties. This is like what the British did in India, on the one hand, to guard against the common people, and on the other hand, to get some benefits for the common people from the gentry. The Qing Dynasty had been co-opting the gentry, knowing full well that it would not be possible to rule such a large country without their support, and at the same time it had been suppressing them. For example, the policy of the gentry paying grain in one piece, promising never to increase the endowment, avoided the practice of the previous dynasties to let the common people build the city wall and the imperial palace, as well as the "military household" system of the Ming Dynasty, which was almost slavery.
It can be said that the Qing Dynasty was a low-level, ultra-stable organization. Without the intervention of the Great Powers, it might have been able to rule for another hundred or two years. Due to its relatively weak legitimacy, the Qing Dynasty paid more attention to the attitude of the common people and constantly repaired it according to the opinions of the people, so that although the broken ship was shaken by wind and rain, it never sank. It was precisely because of the opinion of the common people that after the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing Dynasty decided to take action to enhance its legitimacy, that is, the Wuxu Reform.
Regarding the Wuxu Reform, many people believe that the Empress Dowager Cixi is the main obstacle to it. The Queen Mother was suspicious, so the reform ended in nothing. In fact, history is far more complex than people think, and the Empress Dowager Cixi is not the kind of "old stubborn" who sticks to the rules, she believes in pragmatism, and being able to maintain her position is what she cares about most. Whether conservative or radical, it seems to her that it is just a means, and she will even take extreme actions if necessary. She is also cautious and firm in her attitude towards change, believing that change is necessary, but only if it does not threaten her power.
However, the process of the Wuxu Reform gradually got out of control, and Kang Youwei even planned a shocking plan for them to "besiege the garden and kill the queen", trying to surround the Summer Palace, assassinate the queen mother, and let the Guangxu Emperor completely take power. This incident was like the drama of Kangxi's removal of worship, but it was unfortunately revealed, which directly led to the failure of the Wuxu Reform, and the six backbones were even pushed to the guillotine.
After the failure of the reform, Cixi wanted to abolish Emperor Guangxu, but most of the foreigners disagreed, or did not support it. The great powers had an agreement with the Qing Dynasty, and they all hoped that the Qing Dynasty would maintain stability and not engage in moths, which would affect their money, which was not good. It's not hard to understand that we have a lot of investment in Africa these days, and we don't want their side to change regimes frequently, and a well-spoken ruler doesn't want to replace him.
In addition, the Great Powers also sympathized with the Restorationists, and they also hoped that the Qing court would change, because the Qing court was very difficult to deal with, so the Great Powers supported those who were in their right minds to come to power, and secretly supported the Restorationists. This is easy to understand, we have trained African students over the years, and we also hope that they will bring back their normal way of thinking to their country, so that they will be easier to deal with in the future.
Cixi wanted to arrest Kang Youwei, the British consul picked up Kang Youwei by boat, and the Japanese ** also picked up Liang Qichao. Therefore, Cixi hated foreigners day by day. The matter of "after the siege of the garden and killing" hurt Cixi very much, after all, normal people are also broken down by their friends, not to mention how aggrieved they are when they are brought up by their adopted son and nephew.
What's more troublesome is that this matter has spread out, and there is nothing to talk about every day in the Beijing teahouse, and it has been saying that Guangxu sent 20 first-class masters to assassinate the Queen Mother, and the Queen Mother's imperial guards fought a decisive battle at the top of the Forbidden City, and the two sides fought for 800 rounds or something, and the Peking Opera books have been written and ready to be released at any time. These rumors also greatly weakened the prestige of the Queen Mother.
In fact, before the Gengzi national disaster, Cixi had always been outrageously calm and rational. She firmly controls the personnel power, and various feudal officials such as Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhidong, Zuo Zongtang and other famous ministers are super capable and loyal to her.
And she rarely intervenes directly in government affairs, she has always been handled by the military aircraft, and only intervenes when the military aircraft deviates from her expectations. She has always had a deep insight into her circle of competence and only does what she can understand.
From the death of her husband Emperor Xianfeng to the failure of the Wuxu Reform, Cixi's decisions can basically stand the test of time, she is like a captain who drives a broken ship, there is no amazing operation, and no one else can do it better than her.
But after the "siege of the garden and the killing", Cixi went completely insane. Lost the sanity and sobriety that had been consistent for decades. The Empress Dowager Cixi gives people the impression that she has always been domineering and domineering, and she has a problem with her brain. not only kicked out the military aircraft department to do it himself, but also had no reason to speak of the whole process. Since she personally took charge of it, the fate of the Qing Dynasty has gradually declined.