Gentlemanly and Not-so-Gentlemanly Imperialism in China before the First World War

Petersson, Niels P.

doi:10.1057/9781403919403_6

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Even in these years, according to Ian Phimister, the applicability of 'gentlemanly capitalism' to such businesses as mining is questionable. 145 I think that Cain and Hopkins' thesis should also be limited from the perspective of the influence of Chinese politics on British policy. Their thesis emphasizes the plans of government officials and financiers in London, but the political situation in China never allowed these plans to come to fruition in their original form.…”

Section: Conclusion: Between British Imperialism and Chinese Politicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Britain's Men on the Spot in China: John Jordan, Yuan Shikai, and the Reorganization Loan, 1912–1914

Hirata

2012

Mod. Asian Stud.

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In this paper I examine British policy towards the Yuan Shikai government in China between 1912 and 1914 through a consideration of the role of Britain's 'men on the spot' in China (i.e. British diplomats and bankers resident there). In doing so, I synthesize two bodies of literature that rarely interact: British imperial history and work by China historians. Three main elements shaped British policy in China: first, British policy-makers were determined to support Yuan Shikai's consolidation of power in China; second, in the making of its China policy, the Foreign Office relied heavily on Britain's men on the spot; and, finally, these men were anxious about the vulnerability of the Yuan Shikai government and were therefore manipulated to a certain extent by Chinese politicians. I suggest that British policy-makers were reacting to, rather than controlling, Chinese politics and that in this period collaboration with British imperialism was a rational choice for the Yuan Shikai government.

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Section: Conclusion: Between British Imperialism and Chinese Politicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Britain's Men on the Spot in China: John Jordan, Yuan Shikai, and the Reorganization Loan, 1912–1914

Hirata

2012

Mod. Asian Stud.

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“…Informal empire was able to function because there existed a means to ensure the operation of European economic relationships and interests, allowing a commitment to the territorial integrity of China. While this informal empire was to become more competitive and exploitative as power relationships shifted, it never reached the point of territorial partition (Lee, 1989; Petersson, 2002). In the end, European powers were for the most part satisfied with informal control facilitating their economic interests.…”

Section: Informal Empire and The Qingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The stability and breakdown of empire: European informal empire in China, the Ottoman Empire and Egypt

Savage

2010

European Journal of International Relations

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Most theories of empire and international hierarchy have implicitly or explicitly posited disparities of power between the core and the periphery as a sufficient condition for the stability of imperial arrangements. While power is a necessary condition, it is not sufficient. Peripheral actors can resist despite power disparities, and such resistance can destabilize imperial institutions. Given this fact, the preferences and beliefs that motivate peripheral actors to seek either accommodation or to resist are of central importance for explaining empire and hierarchy. These preferences can be explained by analyzingthe complementarities between the imperial order and domestic political institutions in the periphery. This will be demonstrated through comparison of European informal empire in China, the Ottoman Empire and Egypt.

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“…Confined to the years 1905-1911, it was both more contingent on international circumstances, and more cooperative than originally allowed. 76 Indeed, it is an argument that Peter Cain and Tony Hopkins partly accept. Their response to Petersson acknowledged that the relationship between cooperative imperialism and the national interest is 'a fascinating theme that needs more thought than it has received so far'.…”

Section: IIImentioning

confidence: 99%

Foreign Devils, Finance and Informal Empire: Britain and China c. 1900–1912

Phimister

2006

Mod. Asian Stud.

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Gentlemanly and Not-so-Gentlemanly Imperialism in China before the First World War

Cited by 5 publications

References 11 publications

Britain's Men on the Spot in China: John Jordan, Yuan Shikai, and the Reorganization Loan, 1912–1914

Britain's Men on the Spot in China: John Jordan, Yuan Shikai, and the Reorganization Loan, 1912–1914

The stability and breakdown of empire: European informal empire in China, the Ottoman Empire and Egypt

Foreign Devils, Finance and Informal Empire: Britain and China c. 1900–1912

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