Dear readers and friends, today let's talk about the decline of the Qing Dynasty.
To say which emperor the Qing Dynasty began to decline is not a simple one-size-fits-all question. But if you have to find a more obvious turning point, the reign of Emperor Jiaqing can be regarded as an important node in the Qing Dynasty's transition from prosperity to decline.
Let's first go back and take a look at the emperors in the early Qing Dynasty, Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong, who created the glory of the Qing Dynasty. Emperor Kangxi called a wise and martial artist, pacified the three feudatories, recovered Taiwan, resisted Tsarist Russia, and consolidated the country's territory steadily. Emperor Yongzheng was a master who worked hard to govern the country, vigorously rectified the rule of officials, carried out reforms, and laid a solid foundation for the country's finances. Emperor Qianlong was also good in the early days, and the country continued to prosper.
But in the late Qianlong period, problems gradually emerged. Emperor Qianlong himself liked to enjoy it, and traveled everywhere, spending a lot of money. Moreover, he favored big corrupt officials like He Shen, which led to the prevalence of corruption in officialdom. It's like a big tree that starts to be hollowed out by insects from the inside.
After Emperor Jiaqing ascended the throne, although he also wanted to make a difference, he punished He Shen, copied his home, and gained a lot of wealth. But this only temporarily alleviated the fiscal crisis, and the underlying problem was not solved.
So what was the cause of the decline of the Qing Dynasty? This has to be looked at in a number of ways.
First of all, on the economic front, the Qing Dynasty has always been dominated by a self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy. This economic model, while stable, lacks the impetus for innovation and development. With the growth of the population, land resources have become strained, many peasants have lost their land, their lives are poor, and social contradictions have become increasingly acute.
Second, politically, the bureaucratic system of the Qing Dynasty became increasingly corrupt. Officials only think about their own benefits, not real things. Moreover, the ruling class of the Qing Dynasty was conservative in its thinking, unwilling to accept new ideas and technologies, closed itself off from the country, and missed the opportunity to communicate and develop with the world.
Moreover, the military aspect is not good. The army of the Qing Dynasty had no actual combat experience for a long time, its training was lax, and its equipment was backward. While the Western powers experienced rapid military power after the Industrial Revolution, the Qing Dynasty's army was simply vulnerable.
In terms of culture, the Qing Dynasty greatly promoted literary prisons, which seriously imprisoned people's thoughts, intellectuals did not dare to innovate, and academic research was also greatly restricted.
In addition, social contradictions are intensifying. Peasant uprisings came and went, such as the White Lotus uprising, which had a great impact on the rule of the Qing Dynasty.
After Emperor Jiaqing, Emperor Daoguang and Emperor Xianfeng, although they also tried to save the decline of the Qing Dynasty, they had no choice but to return.
In short, the decline of the Qing Dynasty was not an overnight thing, nor was it the responsibility of a single emperor, but the result of a long-term accumulation of many factors. From the late Qianlong period, the Qing Dynasty went downhill, and by the time of the Jiaqing Emperor, the trend of decline was more obvious. It's like a building, if there is a problem with the foundation, even if the people behind you want to repair it, it will be difficult to recover the fate of the eventual collapse.
I hope that by understanding the history of the decline of the Qing Dynasty, we can learn lessons from it, cherish the good life now, and continue to work hard to make our country stronger and stronger!