The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, a large-scale peasant uprising in Chinese history, shook the rule of the Qing Dynasty and had a profound impact on Chinese and foreign imperialism. However, the campaign ended in a crushing defeat, with the fall of Tianjing, the annihilation of the Taiping army, and the death of its leader, Hong Xiuquan. The defeat of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was not only an individual tragedy, but also a painful tragedy for the Chinese nation. What caused the fall of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom? In the process of failure, what kind of spirit and meaning did it show?
The first stage: from prosperity to decline (1856-1861).
The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which reached its heyday in 1856, ruled most of the Yangtze River valley with an army of nearly one million and posed a threat to the Qing Dynasty and foreign countries. However, the outbreak of a power struggle within the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, known as the Tianjing Incident, became the key to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's transition from prosperity to decline. The struggle for power between Yang Xiuqing, the king of the east, and Wei Changhui, the king of the north, eventually turned into a violent conflict, and the Tianjing incident became the fuse for the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to become an internal strife.
The Tianjing Incident revealed a series of fundamental problems in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, such as a chaotic political system, a leadership group**, extremist religious beliefs, military strategy failures, and a lack of social reform. These problems led to the internal disintegration of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and its external encirclement, which deprived it of the motivation to continue the revolution.
The second stage: towards extinction (1861-1864).
In 1861, the Taiping Rebellion attempted to turn the tide by retaking Fei and marching on other regions, however, the Taiping Expedition ended in a crushing defeat. There are multiple reasons behind this failure.
First of all, the Qing Dynasty carried out a series of military reforms, such as the establishment of the Hunan Army and the Huai Army, and the introduction of foreign guns and artillery, which significantly improved its military strength. There was also a rebellion within the Taiping army, and the generals Li Xiucheng and Chen Yucheng were bribed by the Qing Dynasty, which reduced the combat effectiveness of the Taiping army.
Second, foreign forces played a complex role in the Taiping Rebellion, sympathizing with and supporting it as an anti-Qing force that promoted China's modernization, and hostile to it on the other, fearing that it would threaten China's interests and security. Foreign interference exacerbated the plight of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
In the end, the social reforms of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom failed to gain widespread support. Although a series of reform plans such as the "first-class acre system" were proposed, the land problem of the peasants was not solved, but the collectivized land system was implemented, depriving the peasants of their property and freedom. Social reforms also ignored traditional Chinese culture, leading to resentment and resistance among peasants.
To sum up, the failure of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had both internal and external causes, both historical inevitability and accidental effects. The failure of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom taught profound lessons and provided valuable experience for the development of Chinese history. It tells us that in order to achieve China's national liberation and social progress, it is necessary to build up advanced, scientific, democratic, and people's political forces, formulate a revolutionary program suited to the national conditions and the world trend, unite all forces that can be united, resist all reactionary forces, and persist in struggle until the final victory. The failure of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom also reminds us that to achieve China's modernization and strength, we need to abandon feudal superstition and sectarianism, open our minds, learn from Western culture and science and technology, innovate and develop China's national culture and science and technology, establish a sound legal system and democracy, and protect the rights and welfare of the Chinese people.
The defeat of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was a tragedy, but it was also a revelation that pointed out the way forward for China's history and laid the foundation for future development. Ultimately, we should deeply learn the lessons of the failure of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, continue to forge ahead, and shape a more brilliant tomorrow for China.
The Taiping Rebellion was a magnificent chapter in Chinese history, and its failure was influenced by both profound and intertwined factors. We should draw lessons from history and understand that the road to national independence and modernization is full of twists and turns, and it is necessary to pool our wisdom to establish an advanced political system, protect the rights and interests of the people, conform to the trend of the times, and abandon outdated concepts. On the way forward, we can learn from the wisdom of history, so that we can better win the future.
How do you think the failure of the Taiping Rebellion affected Chinese history? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.