Western Influence Quotes
3rd Earl Russell of Kingston. At the time China was one of the poorest nations on earth, with a series of feeble politicians and leaders fighting each other for the ability to rob the people. Their ancient science and virtues had been forgotten and it was thought of by the West and Asians alike as a failed state. However, Russell observed this one characteristic that could be so important when the rest of the world was learning more and more about everything from science to history. The search for wisdom from wherever it may be also gave them an advantage over other cultures who were more chauvinistic about the origin of whatever they did or thought. Less than a century later China was a superpower, economically, artistically intellectually, scientifically and almost militarily. It only lagged democratically.
Manji is a Canadian citizen who immigrated from Pakistan. Most Islamic states are highly oppressive and repressive. There is not a single Arab state, for example, where Muslims are not oppressed.
“Young Chinese” referred to members of a Chinese political party—Young China—consisting mainly of Western-Educated young Chinese who were a strong force for change, but did not have the experience, money, or power connections to unify the country or operate the government. The Japanese watched Chinese politics very carefully as China was seen as a potential rival or a teritory of conquest.
A revolution in 1911 had toppled the Manchu Dynasty. The republican government which won the revolution then lost the peace and their President, Yuan Shikai, became a dictator and crowned himself Emperor. After his death in 1916, China was in chaos; crime, starvation, no law, with no real government was able to be established. Bland observed that Students had become very active filling a huge vacuum, but they became an obstacle to anything that was practically attainable and was less than perfect according to Western democratic notions. There were forces powerful enough to prevent a government from forming, but non strong enough to form one that could survive. The vast majority of the professional politicians were very corrupt. See {613111}.
