David J. Silbey

Over the course of the 19th century, China found itself facing the growing encroachment of their sovereignty by the Western powers. With the government unable to respond effectively to the challenge of economic exploitation and missionary activity, a grassroots movement sprang up in the countryside as the century came to an end. Dubbed the Boxers, they embodied the frustration that many Chinese felt with the privileges enjoyed by Westerners and Chinese converts to Christianity, which they expressed with attacks on both groups. These attacks culminated with assaults on the foreign legations in Beijing in June 1900, which prompted the Western powers to set aside their rivalries to mount a multinational relief effort that captured the imperial capital and forced a humiliating series of concessions from the imperial government.

David SIlbey's book is far from the first work on the subject. Yet it is among the best as an introduction to the event, thanks to Silbey's clear writing and lucid analysis. He does a good job of explaining the underlying issues at play, both between the Chinese and the West and among the Western powers themselves. In doing so, he sets the Rebellion squarely within the context of contemporary events, helping readers better understand the whys and hows of the rising and its outcome. Though Silbey's favoring of English-language and translated sources limits the depth of his coverage, these limitations are understandable, and don't detract from his book's usefulness as a primer to a dramatic episode in the history of both China and Western imperialism.… (altro)

This account of the Boxer revolution reads a bit like the sequel to the Flashman adventure tale about the Taiping Rebellion. Plucky European and American agents and soldiers put down a crazy Chinese uprising with panache and style. The dying was mostly done by the Japanese understudy who acquired an unsound taste for colonizing from the European example.

It is interesting to note how much of the crazy Boxer movement was caused by economic and agricultural misery. As soon as Mother Nature restored China's grace, the movement collapsed. Nobody was willing to test whether they were bullet-proof, in contrast to the earlier period when life was cheap indeed and attacking Christians and foreigners seemed like a good idea to get through a difficult time. The Qing dynasty in its final years chose to go along and try to use the Boxers as a cudgel to fight the European and Japanese aspirations on China. This was foolish and probably cost them their throne. Had the Qing instead embraced the Europeans, they might have stayed on as puppets on the Chinese throne.

Overall, a short entertaining read about a strange episode of the colonial era that saw a strange mix of international forces lift the siege of Beijing. Who would have guessed that a tiny number of Austrian troops would one day assist in an attack on Beijing?… (altro)

This is a military history of the Boxer Rebellion in China and how the close the Boxers initially came to winning against the foreign forces in China in 1900. Their mission was to exterminate all foreigners in China and though their cause ended quickly, they inspired Chinese nationalism for years to come including Mao Zedong.

Interesting Facts
The Boxers were a bottom up phenomenon. No one controlled them from the top, so by sending a few people from village to village, town to town and city to city to train people, the movement grew incredibly fast.

Boxers was a Western label from "Righteous Fists of Harmony."

The foreign forces involved in relieving the foreign delegations in Beijing were the British, American, French, German, Japanese, Russian, Italian, and Austrian.… (altro)