Chapter 19

European imperial efforts affected China, the Ottoman Empire, and Japan, they shared notable similarities and occurred in ways that would reform their political, economic, and social environments.  In 1793, the Chinese emperor Qianlong rebuffed Britain’s request that China rescind or loosen restrictions on trade. Chinese authorities had controlled and limited European activities for centuries and by 1912, Chinese empire had collapsed, became a weak junior member in European dominated world, leaving Britain with the upper-hand. Europe's overseas empires were way more dominant than China's internal expansion to the west and south, resulting in China developing issues such as pressure on the land, smaller farms, unemployment, impoverishment, misery, and starvation. To some extent or degree, China was a victim of its own success. Japan was the only nation outside of Europe that was able to launch its own Industrial Revolution during the 19th century and created a new modernized industrial society. . Strayer even called this China’s “reversal of fortune.”  The Ottoman Empire declined due to European imperial efforts. It also faced a weak central state, a diminishing economy, and a growing dependency on Europe like China.