3. Guangxu and the Hundred Days’ Reform (1898)
By the late 19th Century, the case for reform was clear. China had been defeated by France in 1885; even worse, it had been defeated by Japan in 1895 - 96, and the subsequent 'scramble for concessions' raised the danger that China might be partitioned amongst the powers. However, China faced many problems in this request to reform; some Chinese viewed any imitation of the West as humiliating or immoral. Further,...