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Difficulty: MediumSocialist, Communist, and Reformist Reactions to Industrialization

Source: Feng Guifen, Chinese scholar and government advisor, *Protests from the Cottage of Jiaobin*, 1861

"If we wish to self-strengthen, we must first learn the methods of the Westerners. We should establish shipyards and arsenals in each of the trading ports. We should invite foreign instructors to teach our artisans how to make steam engines, firearms, and other machinery. [...] But our social relations, our moral principles, and our Confucian teachings must remain the foundation of our state. We only require the mechanical skills of the Western nations to defend ourselves, not their political systems or their ways of life."

The ideas expressed in the passage are most directly an example of which of the following reactions to Western industrialization?

  1. A
    A revolutionary socialist campaign to overthrow the capitalist system and establish communal ownership of the factories
  2. B
    The voluntary acceptance of direct Western colonial administration to facilitate rapid economic integration
  3. An attempt by a non-Western state to engage in state-sponsored modernization while preserving traditional social structuresAnswer
  4. D
    A return to early modern mercantilist policies designed to prohibit all foreign commerce and technologies

Answer

An attempt by a non-Western state to engage in state-sponsored modernization while preserving traditional social structures
The correct answer is correct because the passage reflects the core goal of the Self-Strengthening Movement in Qing China. This reformist reaction to Western industrial power and military dominance sought to adopt Western technologies (such as steamships, steam engines, and modern weapons) while keeping traditional Confucian values, imperial political structures, and social hierarchies intact.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the source text to identify the author's primary objective.
The author advocates for adopting Western technology, such as steam engines and weapons manufacturing, to 'self-strengthen' the state, while explicitly stating that Confucian teachings and the social hierarchy must remain unchanged.
This establishes that the author supports a selective, state-sponsored modernization approach rather than a complete social or political revolution.
2
Contextualize the source within the historical period of the mid-to-late nineteenth century.
The passage corresponds to the Self-Strengthening Movement in China (1861-1895), which was a defensive reaction to Western industrial and military superiority following the Opium Wars.
Understanding the historical context helps link the author's ideas to broader global trends of state-sponsored modernization (like the Meiji Restoration or Tanzimat reforms) that occurred in response to Western industrial expansion.
3
Evaluate the options to find the one that best matches the author's stance.
The option highlighting state-sponsored modernization while preserving traditional social structures directly matches the text's emphasis on acquiring Western machinery while retaining Confucian principles.
This ensures the selected option is historically accurate and directly supported by the stimulus.

Key Concept

State-sponsored defensive modernization in response to global industrialization.
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Topics

Socialist, Communist, and Reformist Reactions to Industrialization

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