Although the GDP of the late Qing Dynasty was five times that of Japan, the country's war power was not determined by GDP alone. Here are a few points to explain why it was difficult for China to defeat Japan in the late Qing Dynasty
1.Economic structure: Although the GDP of the late Qing Dynasty ranked first in the world, China was mainly an agricultural country, and most of its economic output was consumed by a huge population. In contrast, Japan is more modern in terms of economic structure, and the Industrial Revolution has led to a rapid rise in national power.
2.Political system: At the end of the Qing Dynasty, China's political corruption was serious, the bureaucracy was inefficient, and the decision-making level lacked the ability to plan and implement the country's development. After the Meiji Restoration, Japan implemented political system reforms to improve the efficiency of national governance.
3.Military equipment and technology: At the end of the Qing Dynasty, our team was far inferior to Japan in terms of equipment and technology. Despite China's large population, in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese army's combat effectiveness, training level, and tactical application were superior to China's.
4.Level of national awakening: After the invasion of the European powers, Japan quickly woke up, actively embraced industrial civilization, and launched self-transformation. After the Opium War, China remained dormant for a long time, and its acceptance of Western civilization and self-innovation were limited.
5.Strategic Planning and Execution Capability: During the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan formulated a clear strategic plan and resolutely implemented it. On the other hand, although China has a certain strategic plan, there are problems in the implementation process, which leads to defeat.
6.External environment: During the First Sino-Japanese War, China faced many external pressures, such as aggression by foreign powers and internal turmoil. During the same period, Japan's external environment was relatively stable, and it was able to concentrate on developing its national strength.
To sum up, although the GDP of the late Qing Dynasty was leading in the world, China lost the war with Japan due to many factors such as economic structure, political system, military equipment and technology, national awakening level, strategic planning and implementation capabilities, and external environment. Together, these factors led to our country's defeat in battles such as the First Sino-Japanese War.