Example research essay topic: Short Term Long Term - 585 words

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Many aspects of Chinas history attributed to Chinas revolution in 1911. These aspects were both long term and short term. Chinas 1911 revolution was somewhat different from those in other countries in that the factors leading up to it were not mainly short termE hey were part of Chinas long term and inbred culture. It was because of these established roots and ideas that the 1911 revolution did not completely succeed in changing the outlook of many people in China and is often seen in accordance with the effects of the communist revolution in 1949 and then again with the Cultural revolution of the 1960 s. Generally there is not one source that makes a revolution transpire.

Chinas 1911 revolution was no different in that the reasons that it happened were numerous. Both short term and many long term situations in China mixed together to make a lethal combination of simmering, restless and frustrating problems. Taxation in China was a big predicament. As uprisings sprung up all over the country, the government had to increase taxes to suppress these rebellions. But because of corruption on a grand-scale within the government half the money never reached anywhere other that officials pockets. So the taxes were further increased.

Then, because of indemnity payments to other powers the taxes were increased again and because the customs tax couldnt be increased (fixed tax) they had to be increased again. As the tried to undertake reform programmes the taxes were increased again. All this on an already starving and miserable population. Foreign trade upset the natural balance of the economy because the foreign made goods were often cheaper than Chinese made products. This lead to a decline in Chinese industry and a debasement of the Chinese currency. The exhausting corruption which soured the lower levels of government and the way top positions in the government were monopolised ruthlessly added the peoples general tiredness of the way things were run.

The above points are the money problems that plagued China, but many of the problems were more to do with the mental attitude of the Chinese people. The scramble for concessionsEand the way the foreigners controlled the Manchu government led to dissatisfied and humiliated feelings among the Chinese people. When the Boxer Protocol was enforced the Manchu had to agree to even more foreign demands and when they failed to intervene in the Russo-Japanese war (fought on Chinese soil) anti-Manchu and anti-foreign feeling increased. This lead to a rising Nationalism that said the Manchu were strangers and had they had no right to be in control of China. As the treaty ports grew and flourished the people living there were exposed to many foreign ideas and the urbanized population quickly became tamely Westernised. Many had the idea that change in the old way of government was a good thing.

These ideas were supported by the students that had studied abroad and had strong ideas on democracy. Stemming from the idea of a constitutional monarchy came radical ideas like abolishing the monarchy altogether. An overwhelming cause for the revolution could have been the general suffering and distress of the population due to natural disasters like floods, droughts and famines, plagues and the fact that as Chinas ever-increasing population swelled, food became harder to come by. Life in China was prevailing difficult for those not in the upper-class. So although new ideas and thoughts were abundant, food and secure living was not.

Basically the whole country was restful and ready for change. Bibliography:

Research essay sample on Short Term Long Term